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THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

PRESENTED  BY 

PROF.  CHARLES  A.  KOFOID  AND 
MRS.  PRUDENCE  W.  KOFOID 


PLAIN    DIRECTIONS 


FOR    ACQUIRING   THE   ART   OF 


SHOOTING  ON  THE  WING. 


WITH    USEFUL    HINTS    CONCERNING    ALL    THAT    RELATES 

TO    GUNS   AND    SHOOTING,   AND    PARTICULARLY 

IN    REGARD   TO   THE    ART   OF 


LOADING   SO   AS   TO   KILL. 

TO  WHICH  HAS  BEEN  ADDED  SEVERAL    VALUABLE  AND 

HITHERTO  SECRET  RECIPES,  OF  GREA  T  PRACTICAL 

IMPORTANCE   TO   THE  SPORTSMAN. 

BY 

AN   OLD   GAMEKEEPER. 


NEW     YORK: 

THE    INDUSTRIAL    PUBLICATION   COMPANY, 
176    BROADWAY. 

1873- 


Copyright  Secured. 


PREFACE. 


THE  fact  that  he  who  would  preserve  "a  sound  mind  in  a 
healthy  body  "  must  devote  some  time  to  the  sports  of  the  field, 
has  now  become  very  generally  recognized:  so  much  so,  indeed, 
that  "muscular  Christianity"  now  commands  the  respect  of  the 
community;  and  boating,  skating,  riding,  fishing,  and  shooting 
are  no  longer  regarded  as  the  occupations  of  those  alone  who 
are  unable  or  unwilling  to  engage  in  what  some  are  pleased  to 
term  more  useful  employments.  It  is  not  many  years  since  the 
general  feeling  in  this  country  was  so  opposed  to  the  practice 
of  shooting,  except  perhaps  by  boys  or  pioneers,  that  for  a  busi- 
ness man  to  be  seen  with  a  gun  in  his  hand  and  a  pointer  at  his 
heels,  was  to  be  ostracised  by  all  so-called  respectable  persons. 
Fortunately,  that  day  has  gone  by.  Very  many  of  our  most 
estimable  citizens,  and  not  a  few  of  our  most  able  and  worthy 
divines,  enjoy  the  gun  and  the  rod  with  a  zest  that  proves  that 
the  highest  civilization  is  not  incompatible  with  the  enjoyment 
of  field  sports.  Such  a  state  of  things  has  long  prevailed  among 
our  cousins  on  the  other  side  of  the  water,  where  the  gentleman 
that  is  unable  to  ride  across  country  or  bring  down  his  partridge 
or  pheasant  as  it  tops  the  stubble  or  the  copse,  is  looked  upon 
with  a  feeling  akin  to  pity.  Sir  Walter  Scott,  whose  knowledge 
of  human  nature  has  been  seldom  equalled  and  never  surpassed, 
tells  us  that  in  his  day  most  English  gentlemen  of  less  than 
twenty  years  old,  would  feel  an  imputation  on  their  horseman- 
ship more  keenly  than  they  would  one  on  their  moral  character  j 
and  few  men,  who  were  familiar  with  the  state  of  society  in 
Scott's  day,  will  doubt  the  assertion.  As  a  consequence  of  this 
feeling,  every  young  lad  whose  circumstances  warranted  it,  was 
taught  to  hunt,  shoot,  and  fish,  as  regularly  as  he  was  taught  to 
read  and  write.  Nor  was  this  part  of  his  education  left  to  such 
chance  instruction  as  he  could  pick  up  among  his  companions, 
as  is  unfortunately  the  case  with  us.  Instruction  in  horseman* 


IV  PREFACE. 

ship  was  obtained  regularly,  either  from  a  riding-master  or  from 
the  groom,  and  part  of  the  duties  of  every  gamekeeper-  consisted 
in  teaching  the  rising  generation  how  to  shoot.  As  a  conse- 
quence, the  young  gentlemen  of  Great  Britain  not  only  became 
familiar  with  these  things  from  their  boyhood,  but  they  learned 
them  in  such  a  thorough  and  scientific  manner  that  they  not 
only  acquired  great  skill  but  passed  through  this  period  of  their 
curriculum  without  serious  danger  to  themselves  or  others.  In 
this  country  we  have  no  gamekeepers,  and  few  grooms  j  and  our 
young  men  are,  in  almost  every  instance,  self-taught  so  far  as  all 
that  relates  to  the  use  of  the  gun  is  concerned.  More  than  this, 
the  most  dangerous  and  foolish  course  is  in  general  pursued 
toward  the  lad  who  shows  an  inclination  to  use  the  gun,  par- 
ticularly if  his  guardian  be  not  himself  a  sportsman.  When  a 
boy  first  asks  permission  to  use  a  gun,  it  will  be  found  that  most 
old  women  (whether  they  wear  petticoats  or  not)  forbid  the  use 
of  what  they  consider  such  a  dangerous  weapon,  but  are  willing 
that  he  should  have  a  pistol, — which  is  a  far  more  dangerous 
plaything,  both  for  the  boy  himself  and  for  those  who  are  about 
him.  The  long  barrel  of  a  gun  is  not  readily  pointed  either  in 
the  direction  of  ourselves  or  others,  without  our  knowing  it; 
while  the  shorter  pistol  frequently  comes  into  dangerous  range 
either  of  the  person  who  holds  it  or  of  others,  without  being 
immediately  perceived.  Moreover,  a  boy  in  such  circumstances 
receives  no  proper  instruction  in  the  handling,  loading,  carrying, 
and  discharging  of  a  gun,  when  by  his  own  stealth  or  the  care- 
lessness of  his  guardians  he  comes  into  possession  of  one.  Those 
rules  which,  from  long  habit,  have  become  second  nature  to  aK 
good  sportsmen,  are  unknown  to  him,  and  of  course  unacted 
upon.  He  carries  his  gun  with  the  hammers  on  the  caps,  and 
with  the  muzzle  pointing  downward  or  horizontally  toward 
every  point  of  the  compass.  He  pokes  the  muzzle  through  any 
fence  he  may  have  to  cross,  gets  through  or  over  himself  as  best 
he  can,  and  then  drags  the  gun  after  him,  frequently  receiving 
the  contents  of  one  of  the  barrels  while  so  doing.  In  short,  his 
gun,  instead  of  being  an  instrument  of  honest  recreation,  becomes 
the  source  of  stolen  sprees,  and  is  sooner  or  later  a  cause  of 
serious  accident.  Sensible  guardians  ought^to  abandon  all  this. 
If  a  young  man  shows  an  inclination  for  the  sports  of  the  field, 
let  them  see  that  he  is  provided  with  a  safe  and  efficient  weapon, 
and  carefully  instructed  in  its  use.  Youth  must  have  recreation 
and  it  is  better  for  a  young  man  that  he  should  devote  his  day* 
to  the  green  fields  than  his  nights  to  the  green  table. 


PREFACE.  V 

When  field  sports  are  recommended  to  *he  sedentary  for  ex- 
ercise, we  often  hear  ultra  utilitarians  inquire  why  wood-sawing, 
digging,  and  other  useful  employments,  are  not  quite  as  good  a 
means  of  exercise  as  shooting,  fishing,  riding,  etc.  The  answer 
is  obvious  enough,  though  perhaps  not  always  appreciated  by 
the  narrow-minded  ignorance  that  characterizes  the  group  to 
which  such  persons  belong.  Physiologists  know  well  enough 
that  the  evils  which  arise  from  sedentary  employments  are 
caused  in  a  great  measure  by  the  unequal  strain  that  is  placed 
on  one  set  of  powers.  The  mind  is  kept  in  a  state  of  high 
tension,  while  the  physical  man  is  allowed  to  relax  to  the  utmost. 
Now,  if  we  would  remedy  this  state  of  things,  it  is  evident  that 
the  mind  must  be  relieved  by  being  diverted  from  the  subjects 
that  have  previously  engrossed  it.  This  can  not  be  done  by 
such  purely  mechanical  operations  as  digging,  sawrng,  etc.  If  a 
mathematician  should  resort  to  digging  for  exercise,  the  chances 
are  ten  to  one  that  while  his  hands  and  feet  were  engaged  in 
physical  exercise,  his  brain  would  be  intensely  occupied  with 
problems  in  the  higher  calculus.  If,  however,  he  should  take 
a  gun,  and  wander  through  the  woods  and  fields  in  search  of 
game,  his  attention  would  be  constantly  occupied,  and  the 
strain  upon  his  nervous  system  would  be  relieved. 

Shooting  is  an  art  that  any  active  young  man  with  good  eyes 
and  nimble  fingers  may  soon  learn,  provided  he  sets  the  right 
way  to  work.  Of  course,  if  instruction  can  be  obtained  from 
some  experienced  and  intelligent  sportsman,  it  will  be  better 
than  any  amount  of  reading.  It  unfortunately  happens,  how- 
ever, that  many  very  excellent  shots  are  utterly  unable  to  give 
the  tyro  anything  like  proper  instruction  5  they  can  kill  their 
own  birds,  but  they  can  not  instruct  their  young  friends  how  to 
do  it.  Beside  this,  many  young  men  who  own  guns  and  are 
extremely  fond  of  using  them,  have  no  one  who  is  competent 
to  instruct  them.  They  therefore  confine  themselves  to  sitting 
shots,  or  easy  flights  j  they  hunt  squirrels,  shoot  pigeons  off  the 
tree,  single  ducks  off  the  water,  and  are  even  guilty  of  stalking 
the  covey  of  partridge  and  pouring  in  the  death-dealing  shower 
when  the  poor  birds  are  huddled  together.  Such  gunners  never 
feel  the  joy  which  thrills  through  the  nerves  of  every  sportsman 
as  he  brings  down  the  strong-winged  mallard  as  he  clears  the 
rushes,  or  stops  the  woodcock  as  with  ringing  flight  he  darts 
through  the  copse,  or  tumbles  over  the  wild  pigeon  in  its  most 
rapid  flight,  or  cuts  down  the  sharp-flying  quail  as  he  rises  on 
whirring  wing,  or  the  snipe  as  he  turns  and  dodges.  Merely  to 


Vi  PREFACE. 

kill  birds  is  the  work  of  the  butcher  5  with  the  sportsman,  killing 
may  be  the  end  of  his  work,  but  that  from  which  the  chief  joy 
arises  is  the  skillful  and  successful  search,  in  which  reason  is 
pitted  against  instinct,  and  then  the  deft  and  scientific  shot 
which  illustrates  at  once  our  skill  and  our  knowledge.  To  show 
the  young  sportsman  how  to  obtain  the  skill  that  will  enable 
him  to  bring  down  his  game  cleverly  and  cleanly,  after  he  has 
found  it  skillfully,  is  the  chief  object  of  the  writer.  We  have, 
therefore,  confined  ourselves  strictly  to  the  art  of  shooting,  and 
have  not  attempted  to  give  directions  for  finding  game,  breaking 
dogs,  or  retrieving.  Perhaps,  if  the  present  attempt  should  re- 
ceive the  favor  of  the  young  devotees  of  the  gun,  we  may,  in  a 
future  volume  of  similar  size,  condense  the  most  important  points 
relating  to  these  matters. 

When  compared  with  many  of  the  larger  and  more  expensive 
works  now  before  the  public,  it  may  seem  that  the  present 
volume  is  rather  a  small  one ;  but  we  believe  that  it  contains 
nearly  everything  of  any  consequence  that  relates  to  the  practice 
of  the  art.  Most  of  the  books  on  sporting  are  made  large  in 
order  that  the  authors  and  publishers  may  reap  a  greater  profit, 
and  to  this  end  the  bulk  is  increased  by  endless  discussions  in 
regard  to  the  history  of  sporting,  from  the  days  of  Nimrod 
down.  They  can  not  tell  us  how  to  choose  our  powder  without 
giving  an  account  of  Schwartz,  Bacon,  and  others,  to  which  is 
generally  added  a  disquisition  on  the  composition  and  mode  of 
inanufacture  of  powder,  all  which  is  better  adapted  to  the  use 
of  the  superintendent  of  a  powder-mill  than  of  a  sportsman. 
By  leaving  out  all  this  irrelevant  matter,  we  have  saved  a  great 
deal  of  room. 

Within  the  last  ten  years  breech-loaders  have  been  brought 
to  such  a  degree  of  perfection  that  they  promise  to  supersede 
entirely  the  old  muzzle-loader.  Although  we  own  several 
first-class  muzzle-loaders  we  seldom  use  them,  preferring  the 
breech-loader  altogether.  This  makes  little  difference,  however, 
so  far  as  the  young  sportsman  is  concerned:  the  same  rules 
that  apply  to  the  one  apply  to  the  other,  and  he  who  can  suc- 
cessfully use  a  muzzle-loader  will  find  no  difficulty  in  managing 
a  breech-loader. 

Tuft  ALDERS,  March,  1873. 


CONTENTS. 


How  TO  CHOOSE  THE  GUN 9 

Weight.  —  Gauge.  —  Length  of  Barrels. —  Materials 
and  Finish  of  the  Gun. — Freeing,  and  Close  Shoot- 
ing.—  Engraving  and  Browning. — Shape  of  the 
Barrels.— The  Stock.— The  Triggers.— Nipples 
and  Vents. 

BREECH-LOADERS  AND  MUZZLE-LOADERS 24 

AMMUNITION,  ACCOUTREMENTS,  AND  IMPLEMENTS.    .     .27 
Powder.  — Shot.  — Caps.  — Wads. — Powder-Flask.  — 
Shot-Pouch.  —  Cap-Chargers.  —  Gun-Cases    and 
their  Accompaniments. 

How  TO  LOAD  THE  GUN 36 

How  TO  CLEAN  THE  GUN 50 

How  TO  CARRY  AND  HANDLE  THE  GUN.     .     .     .     .56 

How  TO  LEARN  TO  SHOOT 59 

FINISHING  TOUCHES. 70 

USEFUL  HINTS .     .     .     .  75 

RECIPES  AND  MISCELLANEOUS  MATTERS 78 


THE    ART   OF 

SHOOTING   ON   THE  WING. 


HOW   TO   CHOOSE   THE   GUN. 

WHETHER  we  select  a  high-priced  or  a  low-priced  gun,  a 
muzzle-loader  or  a  breech-loader,  there  are  certain  points 
which  must  not  by  any  means  be  ignored  if  we  would 
achieve  decided  success  in  its  use.  It  is  true  that  some 
men  seem  to  be  able  to  shoot  with  any  kind  of  a  weapon, 
whether  it  be  an  old  flint-lock  musket,  a  heavy  ducking 
gun,  or  an  awkward,  top-heavy,  pot-metal  piece.  But  if 
the  reader  finds  that  he  can  bring  down  his  game  with  any 
kind  of  a  gun,  then  this  little  book  is  not  intended  for  his 
use.  Many  men,  however,  find  it  as  difficult  to  shoot  with 
a  gun  that  does  not  suit  them  as  to  walk  with  a  pair  of 
ill-fitted  boots;  and  unless  the  young  sportsman  has  a 
wonderful  genius  for  the  art,  he  will  find  it  absolutely 
necessary  to  provide  himself  with  a  gun  that  is  adapted  to 
his  own  bodily  conformation  as  accurately  as  the  coat  that 
he  wears.  Some  of  the  most  skillful  gun-makers  even  go 
so  far  as  to  say  that  every  gun  ought  to  be  made  specially 
for  the  person  who  is  to  use  it,  and  they  actually  measure 
their  customers  just  as  a  tailor  measures  those  for  whom 
he  makes  coats.  We  think,  however,  that  this  is  hardly 
necessary,  and  that  a  very  good  fit  may  in  general  be 


10  SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING. 

obtained  out  of  the  stock  of  any  of  our  respectable  gun- 
makers.  The  points  which  require  most  careful  attention 
are  the  following : — 

Weight. — Most  young  sportsmen  are  apt  to  overload 
themselves,  and  to  procure  a  gun  that  is  by  far  too  heavy 
for  the  man  that  is  to  carry  it.  No  greater  mistake  can  be 
committed,  for  nothing  is  so  apt  to  destroy  one's  ability 
to  shoot  well  as  the  fatigue  arising  from  being  fagged  out 
by  carrying  a  fowling-piece  that  is  too  heavy  for  the  strength 
of  the  bearer.  It  is  true  that  a  heavy  gun  will  shoot 
stronger  and  carry  a  heavier  charge  than  a  light  one,  and 
by  so  much  as  it  does  so  by  so  much  are  our  chances  for 
bagging  game  increased,  provided  we  are  able  to  handle  the 
heavy  gun  efficiently.  But  if  we  watch  ourselves  or  our- 
companions  toward  the  close  of  a  hard  day's  shooting,  we 
will  find  that  the  heavy  gun  is  brought  up  slowly,  and  that 
the  game  flies  several  yards  farther  before  being  shot  at, 
than  is  the  case  with  a  light  gun.  Now  the  great  secret 
of  success  in  shooting  on  the  wing,  at  fair  distances,  lies 
in  firing  before  our  birds  have  got  under  full  headway. 
Not  only  is  the  distance  shortened  in  this  way,  but  the 
bird  presents  an  easier  mark.  The  partridge  or  grouse, 
when  he  first  rises  from  the  ground,  hangs  in  the  air, 
making  a  great  show  of  feathers  and  flapping,  it  is  true, 
but  still  moving  with  comparatively  great  slowness ;  and 
if  we  can  throw  our  gun  to  the  shoulder,  cover  our  object, 
and  fire  during  these  preliminary  movements,  the  game 
is  pretty  certain  to  come  to  bag.  But  should  the  slowness 
of  our  movements  delay  the  act  of  firing  for  a  single 
second,  the  case  becomes  very  different.  A  vigorous  grouse 
in  full  flight  moves  at  the  rate  of  nearly  one  mile  a  minute,* 

*  Wild  ducks  have  been  found  to  fly  ninety  miles  per  hour,  or  a  mile  and  a 
half  per  minute,  by  actual  measurement. 


SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING.  \\ 

or  thirty  yards  per  second.  During  a  single  beat  of  our 
pulse  he  will  have  put  an  additional  twenty  yards  between 
himself  and  the  gun,  and  this  may  be  enough  to  overtax 
the  heaviest  and  hardest-shooting  weapon.  Therefore,  let 
the  young  sportsman  select  a  gun  that  is  under  rather  than 
over  weight,  and  endeavor  to  make  up  for  its  deficiencies 
by  the  greater  rapidity  and  expertness  with  which  it  is 
handled. 

We  would  not  by  this,  however,  have  the  tyro  suppose 
that  all  game  must  be  fired  at  the  moment  it  is  on  the 
wing.  To  adopt  such  a  system,  and  practice  it  continually, 
would  be  to  ruin  more  than  half  the  birds  shot  at ;  but 
the  ability  to  use  the  gun  in  this  way  is  essential  to  the 
character  of  a  good  shot,  and  if  we  are,  on  occasion,  pre- 
vented from  so  doing  by  the  weight  of  the  gun,  it  shows 
that  the  weapon  is  too  heavy. 

Fortunately,  however,  the  sportsman  that  selects  a  light 
gun  does  not  make  a  sacrifice  which  is  anything  like  in 
proportion  to  the  diminution  of  weight.  The  hardest- 
shooting  and  most  effective  gun  that  we  ever  owned 
weighed  only  six  and  a  half  pounds,  and  number  twelve 
gauge  at  that.  And  one  of  our  friends  was  so  thoroughly 
convinced  of  the  trifling  advantage  that  is  secured  by  great 
weight  that  he  fitted  up  a  large  horse-pistol  with  a  skeleton 
stock,  and  with  this  little  weapon,  which  weighs  less  than 
three  pounds,  he  kills  most  of  his  woodcock.  The  barrel, 
however,  is  of  very  superior  material,  and  has  been  care- 
fully bored,  so  that  it  does  wonderful  execution.  Its 
owner  at  one  time  expressed  a  willingness  to  accept  a 
challenge  from  any  gun,  provided  he  was  allowed  two 
yards  for  every  pound  that  the  competing  gun  exceeds  his 
pistol. 

It  has  been  thoroughly  ascertained  that  while  the  weight 


12  SffOOTING   ON  THE    WING. 

of  the  charge  which  may  be  used  is  directly  as  the  weight 
of  the  gun  from  which  it  is  fired,  the  efficiency  of  any 
charge  does  not  at  all  increase  in  the  simple  ratio  of  its 
weight.  Mathematicians  tell  us  that  the  efficiency  of  a 
charge  is  nearly  as  the  square  root  of  its  weight.  For 
example,  a  charge  of  four  ounces  of  shot  would  not  do 
equal  execution  four  times  as  far  as  a  charge  of  one  ounce, 
but  only  about  twice  as  far,  while  it  could  be  projected 
with  efficiency  only  from  a  gun  of  four  times  the  weight 
of  the  small  gun.  Now  one  ounce  of  shot  can  be  fired 
very  well  from  a  gun  of  four  and  a  half  to  five  pounds 
weight,  while  four  ounces  would  require  a  gun  of  from 
sixteen  to  twenty  pounds ;  and  while  the  small  gun  will 
kill  at  thirty-five  to  forty  yards,  the  large  gun  can  not  be 
expected  to  accomplish  much  at  a  distance  of  more  than 
eighty  yards.  While,  therefore,  there  is  certainly  some 
advantage  to  be  derived  from  the  use  of  heavy  guns,  this 
advantage  never  can  overbalance  the  greater  inconvenience 
which  attends  the  greater  weight.  In  the  above  example 
we  have  taken  two  extreme  cases — a  more  than  ordinarily 
light  gun  and  a  more  than  usually  heavy  one.  But  the 
principle  holds  quite  as  well  in  regard  to  guns  of  common 
size.  Taking  two  guns,  one  of  eight  pounds  and  one  of 
ten  pounds,  it  is  very  obvious  that  the  ten-pound  gun  will 
tire  out  a  man  of  common  strength  more  than  twice  as 
rapidly  as  will  the  gun  of  eight  pounds.  But  the  ten- pound 
gun  will  carry  a  charge  which  is  only  one  fourth  greater 
than  that  carried  by  the  eight-pound  gun,  and  the  efficiency 
of  these  two  charges  will  be  as  2.82  to  3.16.  That  is  to 
say,  if  the  eight-pound  gun  can  kill  at  forty  yards  the  ten- 
pound  one  will  kill  equally  well  at  forty-five.  It  is  very 
evident,  however,  that  this  gain  of  five  yards  is  no  com- 
pensation for  the  extra  fatigue  incurred.  Our  own  opinion 


SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING.  13 

is  that  from  six  to  nine  pounds  is  the  proper  weight  for  a 
fowling-piece  for  ordinary  game.  Very  few  men  can  handle 
a  heavier  weapon  than  one  of  nine  pounds,  while  the 
weakest  can  cany  one  of  six.  Our  favorite  weight  is  seven 
and  a  half  pounds.  A  gun  of  this  weight  can  be  carried 
all  day  and  thrown  to  the  shoulder  at  night  with  rapidity 
and  precision,  and  it  will  do  good  work  on  either  snipe 
or  duck  at  any  distance  under  forty  to  forty-five  yards. 

Gauge. — Fifty  years  ago  small  bores  and  long  barrels 
were  all  the  rage.  Barrels  three  feet,  and  even  forty  inches, 
long,  and  having  bores  as  small  as  number  twenty-two, 
were  in  common  use.  A  few  years  later  it  was  found  that 
wider  bores  did  much  better  execution,  and  at  length  the 
diameter  was  increased  and  the  length  diminished  until  a 
fashionable  gun  was  about  nine  or  ten  bore  and  twenty- 
four  to  twenty-six  inches  long  in  the  barrels.  It  was  soon 
found,  however,  that  these  very  wide  bores,  unless  com- 
bined with  proportionate  weight  and  length,  did  not  shoot 
strongly,  and  a  reaction  set  in,  after  which  the  majority 
of  the  guns  that  were  made  were  of  sixteen  and  fourteen 
gauge, — very  good  gauges,  but  we  think  a  trifle  too  small. 
In  selecting  a  gauge  for  shot-gun  barrels,  we  meet  with 
difficulties  in  both  directions:  moderately  large  shot  does 
not  chamber  well  in  a  very  small  bore,  and  when  powder 
is  exploded  in  a  large  bore,  the  pressure  on  the  shot  is 
not  great  enough  unless  we  use  very  heavy  charges  of 
powder,  in  which  case  the  gun  is  apt  to  recoil.  After  many 
years'  experience  with  guns  of  every  gauge,  we  have  come 
to  the  conclusion  that  for  all  ordinary  shooting  number 
twelve  is  about  the  best  gauge  that  can  be  employed. 
Frank  Forrester  preferred  number  fourteen,  and  it  must 
be  confessed  that  in  the  smaller  gauge  the  same  weight  of 
powder  will  produce  a  greater  pressure  per  square  inch 


14 


SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING. 


on  the  charge  of  shot,  and  consequently  a  greater  propelling 
power.  But,  on  the  other  hand,  the  same  weight  of  shot 
presents  a  less  depth  in  the  larger  bore,  and  consequently 
opposes  less  resistance  per  square  inch.  In  addition  to 
this,  there  is  probably  less  friction  on  the  sides. 

Those  who  desire  to  examine  this  subject  more  closely 
will  find  the  annexed  table,  which  gives  the  size  in  inches 
of  the  various  numbers,  very  convenient : — 

TABLE    GIVING   THE    SIZES    OF    THE    VARIOUS    GAUGES. 


Number  of 
Gauge. 
I. 

Diameter  of  Bore, 
in  inches. 
.      1.669 

Number  of 
Gauge. 

I  Q. 

Diameter  of  Bore, 
in  inches. 
.        .        .          626 

2. 

.    r.  32s 

2O. 

.615 

2. 

.      I.  157 

21. 

.60^ 

4. 

,      I.O52 

22. 

.  sq6 

5- 

Q?6 

23. 

s87 

6.     . 

.  UIQ 

24. 

O  ^  I 
^70 

7- 

•873 

25. 

.  ^71 

8.     .     . 

.835 

26.        . 

•  563 

o. 

.803 

27. 

.556 

IO. 

77> 

28.        . 

r  rn 

II. 

.751 

20. 

.  3  ^ 
^43 

12. 

.72Q 

3O. 

'    JT-  J 

^37 

IS-        - 
14. 

.       .       .710 
.603 

31-        - 
32. 

O  3  1 

•       •       -531 

^26 

1  ^. 

6?7 

33. 

C2O 

1  6.     .     . 

.       .         662 

»>  0* 
24. 

.  3  4<u 
c  T  r 

17.     .     . 
1  8.     .     . 

.650 
.       .       .637 

35-     • 
36-     . 

•  j  x  J 
.        .        .510 
.506 

The  values  here  given  of  the  different  numbers  are  those 
adopted  by  the  British  proof-houses.  We  may  add  that 
the  number  of  the  gauge  was  originally  designed  to  express 
the  number  of  balls  to  the  pound,  when  the  size  fitted  the 
gun.  Thus  a  ball,  of  which  sixteen  weigh  one  pound, 
will  fit  tightly  a  gun  of  sixteen  gauge. 


SHOOTING    ON  THE   W 'ING.  15 

On  the  whole,  we  consider  that  the  claims  of  the  different 
gauges  between  eleven  and  fourteen  are  pretty  evenly  bal- 
anced. If  a  gun  suited  us  well  otherwise,  we  would  not 
reject  it  on  account  of  the  size  of  the  bore,  provided  it 
came  within  these  limits.  Gauges  larger  than  number  ten 
are  fit  for  duck -guns  only. 

Length  of  Barrels. — Long  barrels,  whether  for  shot- 
guns or  rifles,  are  now  pretty  much  abandoned.  Barrels 
three  and  four  feet  long  were  not  uncommon  a  few  years 
ago,  but  many  of  them  have  been  cut  down  to  thirty 
inches,  or  even  twenty-eight  or  twenty-six  inches,  with  de- 
cided improvement  to  their  shooting.  A  few  years  ago  we 
came  into  possession  of  a  gun,  number  eighteen  bore  and 
forty  inches  in  length  of  barrel.  It  shot  well,  but  it  was 
almost  impossible  to  kill  game  on  the  wing  with  it.  We 
therefore  subjected  it  to  a  series  of  experiments,  cutting  it 
off  two  inches  at  a  time,  and  testing  its  shooting  at  every 
stage.  In  closeness  there  was  n.o  falling  off  at  all,  and 
the  penetration  seemed  to  be  nearly  as  great,  though  we 
thought  we  could  occasionally  perceive  a  slight  difference, 
— perhaps  due  to  the  diminution  in  the  weight  of  the  gun. 
When  we  reached  twenty-six  inches,  however,  we  had  the 
barrels  carefully  bored  over,  and  polished  on  the  inside 
as  smoothly  as  possible.  Up  to  this  time  we  had  used  a 
very  coarse  powder,  finding  that  with  the  forty-inch  barrels 
it  did  the  best  work.  Now,  however,  we  began  to  use  a 
powder  that  had  a  somewhat  finer  gram,  and  the  result  of 
all  these  improvements  was  that  our  little  twenty-six  inch 
gun,  seventeen  gauge  (increased  one  size  by  boring)  shot 
more  closely  and  strongly  than  it  did  before  it  was  short- 
ened, while  as  to  convenience  in  handling  there  was  no 
comparison.  The  gun  is  now  quite  light  (seven  pounds), 
short  and  handy,  and  for  snipe  and  woodcock  it  answers 


IQ  SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING. 

very  well,  and  is  a  favorite  with  most  persons.  We  keep 
it  for  the  accommodation  of  such  sporting  friends  as  may 
happen  to  visit  us  without  bringing  their  guns,  but  for  our 
own  use  we  prefer  a  gun  that  carries  a  heavier  charge,  as 
in  shooting  at  woodcock  in  dense  brush  we  are  often 
obliged  to  fire  where  we  think  the  bird  is,  rather  than 
where  we  know  he  is,  and  in  that  case  a  gun  that  sends 
a  heavy  load  over  a  large  space  possesses  great  advan- 
tages. 

Such  being  the  general  principles  which  ought  to  govern 
us  in  the  adjustment  of  the  most  important  individual 
features  of  the  gun,  it  is  not  difficult  to  determine  what 
the  entire  combination  should  be  in  order  to  adapt  it  to 
the  use  of  the  sportsman.  A  large  and  powerful  man, 
capable  of  using  a  gun  of  nine  pounds  in  weight,  should 
select  one  of  not  less  than  eleven  or  ten  bore  and  thirty-one 
or  thirty-two  inches  length  of  barrel.  Such  a  gun,  if  pro- 
perly handled,  will  do  killing  work  at  any  distance  under 
fifty  yards,  for  three  and  a  half  to  four  drams  of  powder 
and  one  and  three-eighths  to  one  and  five-eighths  ounces 
of  shot,  may  be  discharged  from  it  without  producing  any 
sensible  recoil.  We  have  now  in  mind  a  gun  of  this 
kind,  number  ten  bore  and  thirty-one  inch  barrels,  which, 
for  hard  hitting  and  close  shooting,  is  certainly  unequalled 
by  any  lighter  piece  of  which  we  have  any  knowledge, 
and  as  the  owner  is  abundantly  able  to  handle  it,  it  would 
be  folly  for  him  to  choose  a  less  effective  weapon.  On 
the  other  hand,  a  man  of  feeble  physique,  who  is  easily 
tired,  would  do  well  to  content  himself  with  the  very  lightest 
gun  that  is  capable  of  making  a  fair  bag,  and  this  we  con- 
ceive to  be  about  six  pounds  weight,  fourteen  to  sixteen 
gauge,  and  twenty-seven  to  twenty-eight  inches  length  of 
barrel.  A  gun  of  these  dimensions  is  capable  of  doing 


SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING.  17 

fair  work  at  thirty-five  to  forty  yards,  and  if  care  and  good 
judgment  be  used  in  loading  it,  it  will  beat  many  guns  of 
far  greater  weight  and  length.  For  anything  under  seven 
pounds,  Frank  Forrester  recommends  a  single-barrel  gun, 
but  we  can  hardly  agree  with  him.  A  double-barrel,  such 
as  we  have  just  described,  is  by  no  means  a  mere  plaything 
or  popgun ;  and  although  it  can  not,  of  course,  do  the 
execution  that  longer  and  heavier  guns  are  capable  of,  yet 
it  is  quite  effective  for  the  majority  of  shots  at  game  which, 
as  is  well  known,  seldom  exceed  twenty-five  yards.  The 
only  weapon  that  will  compare  with  such  a  double-barreled 
gun  as  we  have  just  described  is  a  single-barrel  breech- 
loader, and  of  this  class  of  guns  a  very  excellent  model 
has  been  recently  brought  into  market.  It  is  light,  handy, 
of  moderate  price,  and  excellent  materials  and  workman- 
ship. It  can  be  loaded  so  rapidly  that  for  many  kinds  of 
shooting  it  is  quite  as  efficient  as  a  double-barreled  muzzle- 
loader,  and  for  some  purposes,  as  for  wild-fowl  shooting 
where  the  birds  are  flying  in  great  numbers,  it  is  greatly 
more  efficient. 

Between  these  extreme  sizes,  however,  is  found  the  most 
useful  and  pleasant  gun  for  men  of  average  strength,  and 
this  we  believe  to  be  seven  to  se^en  and  a  half  pounds  in 
weight,  number  twelve  gauge,  and  twenty-eight  inches 
length  of  barrel.  This  is  the  size  of  our  own  gun,  and 
several  of  our  friends  have,  after  careful  examination,  pro- 
cured guns  like  it,  and  in  no  instance  that  we  know  of 
have  guns  of  this  size,  whether  breech-loaders  or  muzzle- 
loaders,  failed  to  give  satisfaction,  if  well  made.  With  ours 
we  can  bring  down  a  duck  with  tolerable  certainty  at  forty 
to  forty-five  yards ;  and,  when  properly  loaded,  it  makes 
sure  work  of  snipe,  woodcock,  quail,  and  grouse,  at  all 
ordinary  distances. 


18  SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING. 

For  long  shots  at  ducks  and  sea-fowl,  a  heavier  gun  is 
absolutely  necessary.  We  feel  confident,  however,  that 
long  range  is  to  be  attained  more  by  increasing  the  size  of 
the  shot  than  by  increasing  the  quantity  of  powder  used 
to  propel  it ;  and  this  being  the  case,  we  recommend  and 
use  a  gun  of  such  large  bore  that  a  double  barrel  is  im- 
practicable. We  have  adopted  one  of  number  five  gauge, 
forty-four  inches  length  of  barrel,  and  fourteen  pounds 
weight,  and  we  find  it  a  killing  weapon  at  single  birds  at 
eighty  to  ninety  yards.  Those  who  desire  to  use  larger 
and  heavier  guns  must  take  lessons  from  Col.  Hawker, 
whose  work  on  shooting  is  the  standard  authority  in  regard 
to  all  guns  over  sixteen  pounds  in  weight. 

Materials  and  Finish  of  the  Gun. — Unless  the 
sportsman  is  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  materials  and 
process  of  manufacture  of  firearms,  all  directions  based 
upon  a  description  of  the  raw  material  are  useless ;  and 
if  he  be  thoroughly  familiar  with  the  subject,  such  direc- 
tions are  superfluous.  It  is  only  by  the  results  attained  in 
the  completed  weapon  that  a  correct  judgment  can  be 
formed  by  any  one  who  is  not  a  professional  guncnaker, 
and  a  few  hours  spent  in  examining  guns  in  the  shop  of 
a  respectable  dealer  or  maker,  will  do  more  to  enable  the 
novice  to  determine  whether  a  gun  is  laminated  steel,  stub 
and  twist,  or  plain  iron,  than  weeks  spent  in  studying 
books.  Upon  one  thing  the  purchaser  may  rely,  however : 
a  really  good  gun  can  not  be  obtained  for  a  trifle.  He 
who  would  purchase  a  first-class  gun  must  pay  a  first-class 
price;  and  when,  as  is  frequently  done,  a  new  gun  is 
offered  for  anything  less  than  fifty  dollars,  and  is  claimed 
to  be  first-class,  it  will  be  well  for  the  intending  purchaser 
to  remember  that  even  the  raw  material  of  such  a  gun  is 
worth  more  than  the  price  asked  for  the  finished  article. 


SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING.  19 

Guns  are  sold  at  all  prices,  and  of  all  qualities.  The 
New  York  wholesale  market  is  flooded  with  double-barrel 
guns  of  the  most  worthless  character,  which  are  sold  for 
from  five  to  ten  dollars  each,  and  are  known  as  pot-metal 
guns.  It  needs  but  a  glance  to  detect  their  character,  and 
yet  these  cheap  guns  are  frequently  bought  by  country 
gunsmiths,  who  overhaul  them  a  little,  polish  the  interior 
of  the  barrels,  especially  toward  the  muzzle,  smooth  off  and 
perhaps  case-harden  the  locks,  and  then  offer  them  to 
country  gunners  at  prices  varying  from  fifteen  to  twenty-five 
dollars.  Let  no  man  who  values  his  life  ever  procure  one 
of  these  miserable  abortions.  That  no  one  would  know- 
ingly do  so  we  feel  confident,  but  when  furbished  up  and 
recommended  by  a  gunsmith  as  a  good  cheap  gun,  the 
verdant  shooter  is  liable  to  be  misled  into  buying  one. 
They  may  be  easily  detected  by  a  certain  profusion  of 
varnish  on  the  barrels  as  well  as  on  the  stock ;  by  the 
rough  manner  in  which  the  various  parts  are  fitted  toge- 
ther, and  especially  by  the  fitting  of  the  locks  and  by  the 
coarse  and  grating  movement  of  the  latter.  For,  after  all, 
the  best  and  safest  index  to  the  quality  of  a  gun  is  to  be 
found  in  the  locks ;  if  these  work  with  a  certain  oily  smooth- 
ness, which  is  indescribable  but  easily  recognized,  the  entire 
gun  may  be  safely  pronounced  of  good  quality.  The 
young  sportsman  will  do  well  then  to  examine  carefully 
some  really  good  gun  :  observe  the  smoothness  with  which 
the  hammer  glides  back  under  the  pressure  of  the  thumb; 
the  force  with  which  the  hammer  is  pressed  against  the 
nipples — a  force  nearly  as  great  as  that  exerted  when  the 
hammer  is  at  full  cock ;  notice  the  sharp  and  clear  click 
with  which  the  sear  springs  to  its  place ;  and  watch  the 
lightning-like  sharpness  with  which  the  hammers  are 
driven  down  to  the  nipples.  One  who  has  handled  a 


20  SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING. 

really  good  gun  and  observed  these  points,  can  hardly  be 
deceived  in  regard  to  the  quality  of  the  locks,  and  this,  as 
we  before  observed,  is  a  sure  index  to  the  quality  of  the 
entire  piece. 

The  interior  of  the  barrels  should  be  very  smoothly 
finished.  This  we  regard  as  a  very  important  point,  though 
it  is  one  that  is  but  too  often  neglected  in  all  but  the  very 
highest-priced  guns.  The  object  of  this  high  finish  is  to 
lessen  the  friction,  and,  as  a  consequence,  to  increase  the 
force  and  closeness  of  the  shot.  The  force  is  increased 
from  two  causes-:  less  resistance  is  offered  to  the  passage 
of  the  shot,  and  on  this  account  we  can  use  more  powder 
without  causing  the  gun  to  scatter  too  much.  The  close- 
ness is  increased,  because,  since  the  forward  layers  of  shot 
move  along  the  barrel  easily,  they  do  not  receive  as  much 
pressure  from  the  rear  layers,  and  neither  layers  are  so  apt 
to  be  bruised  and  distorted.  In  addition  to  all  this,  smooth 
barrels  keep  clean  longer,  and  are  more  easily  cleaned 
when  the  work  is  done.  It  is  this  feature  that  confers  upon 
laminated  steel  barrels  one  of  their  most  valuable  qualities. 
A  good  steel  barrel  is  not  easily  corroded,  it  does  not  foul 
readily,  and  its  strength  is  unquestionably  greater  than 
that  of  barrels  made  of  other  materials.  In  the  days  of 
Frank  Forrester  steel  barrels  were  regarded  with  a  good 
deal  of  suspicion,  but  at  the  present  day  they  occupy,  and 
justly  we  think,  the  very  first  rank. 

Freeing. — To  increase  the  closeness  with  which  the 
gun  throws  its  shot,  it  is  usual  for  gunsmiths  to  enlarge  the 
diameter  of  the  barrels  for  about  one  third  of  their  length 
next  the  muzzle.  This  is  technically  called  freeing,  and 
all  good  guns  are  fixed  in  this  way.  Too  much  freeing, 
however,  is  as  bad  as  too  little.  Any  approach  to  what  is 
known  as  a  "bell-mouth"  will  cause  the  gun  to  scatter. 


SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING.  21 

Engraving  and  Browning. — It  is  hardly  necessary 
to  caution  the  reader  against  a  gun  that  is  profusely  orna- 
mented (?)  with  cheap  and  coarse  engraving.  Such  work 
merely  increases  the  expense  without  adding  to  the  value, 
and  as  it  forms  a  first-rate  nucleus  for  dirt  and  rust,  which 
will  in  time  destroy  or  greatly  injure  the  \veapon,  it  should 
be  carefully  avoided.  At  the  same  time,  do  not  neglect 
to  assure  yourself  that  the  barrels  are  well  browned. 
Besides  adding  greatly  to  the  appearance  of  the  gun,  good 
browning  is  a  wonderful  preventive  of  rust.  It  requires  a 
skilled  workman  to  brown  a  gun  well,  however  good  may 
be  the  recipe  that  he  may  use.  For  the  convenience  of 
such  of  our  readers  as  may  desire  to  experiment  upon  this 
subject  themselves,  we  give  some  very  excellent  recipes  at 
the  end  of  the  volume. 

Shape  of  the  Barrels. — One  of  the  greatest  faults 
that  can  exist  in  any  gun  is  to  be  top-heavy.  Such  a  gun 
comes  up  slowly  to  the  mark,  and  is  very  fatiguing  in  the 
field.  One  reason  why  cheap  guns  are  always  top-heavy, 
is  that  the  material  of  which  they  are  made  is  of  poor 
quality,  and  consequently  the  manufacturers  dare  not  make 
them  thin  toward  the  muzzle.  With  good  stub  and  twist 
or  laminated  steel,  the  barrels  may  be  made  almost  as  thin 
as  paper  toward  the  muzzle,  and  yet  be  perfectly  safe. 
But  all  barrels  ought  to  be  heavy  at  the  breech,  as  in  this 
way  the  gun  not  only  balances  better  but  is  rendered  much 
more  capable  of  withstanding  heavy  charges.  This  feature 
has  been  carried  out  more  fully  during  the  last  few  years 
than  ever  before,  but  that  it  is  not  a  new  idea,  the  following 
extract  from  the  writings  of  Edward  Davies,  who  flourished 
about  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century  (1619) 
will  show  :-- 

"He  that  loves  the  safetie  of  his  own  person,  and  de- 


22  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

lighteth  in  the  goodness  and  beautie  of  a  piece,  let  him 
always  make  choice  of  one  that  is  double-breeched ;  and, 
if  possible,  a  Mylan  piece,  for  they  be  of  tough  and  per- 
fect temper,  light,  square  and  bigge  of  breech,  and  very 
strong  where  the  powder  doth  lie,  and  where  the  violent 
force  of  the  fire  doth  consist,  and  notwithstanding  thinne 
at  the  end.  Our  Englishe  pieces  approach  very  neare  unto 
them  in  beautie  and  goodness  (their  heaviness  only  ex- 
cepted),  so  that  they  be  made  of  purpose,  and  not  one  of 
those  common  sale  pieces  with  round  barrels,  whereunto  a 
beaten  souldier  will  have  great  respect,  and  choose  rather 
to  pay  double  money  for  a  good  piece,  than  to  spare  his 
money  and  endanger  himself." 

The  Stock. — The  stocks  of  almost  all  sporting  guns 
are  made  of  black  walnut,  which  is  now  generally  finished 
in  oil, — a  style  which  is  greatly  to  be  preferred  to  varnish, 
as  being  less  liable  to  be  scratched  and  marred.  The 
shape  and  length  of  the  stock  will  exercise  an  important 
influence  on  the  ease  with  which  the  shooter  will  handle 
his  weapon,  and  these  features  must,  as  we  have  elsewhere 
noted,  be  accurately  adjusted  to  the  length  of  the  shooter's 
arm  and  neck. 

The  Triggers. — We  have  seen  many  guns,  otherwise 
of  excellent  quality,  rendered  almost  unusable,  owing 
to  the  great  force  necessary  to  pull  the  trigger.  A  trigger 
that  pulls  too  easily  is  dangerous ;  one  that  pulls  too  hard 
deranges  the  aim,  and  is  fatal  to  quick  shooting.  Fortu- 
nately, the  gunsmith  can  easily  regulate  this  point.  See 
therefore  that  the  triggers  pull  with  a  degree  of  force  that 
is  adapted  to  your  personal  requirements,  and  also  see 
that  both  triggers  are  made  to  go  alike. 

Nipples  and  Vents. — The  rapidity  and  certainty 
with  which  the  gun  is  discharged  depends  very  much  upon 


SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING.  23 

the  shape  and  material  of  the  nipple  or  cone.  Greener 
makes  the  following  very  judicious  remarks  upon  this 
point :  ' '  The  nipples  now  in  general  use  have  the  smaller 
orifice  at  the  bottom,  and,  being  lined  with  platina,  never 
foul.  Experience  has  shown  that  admitting  the  gunpowder 
into  the  nipple  is  not  advantageous,  especially  with  large- 
grained  powder ;  by  constructing  the  nipple  with  the  small 
orifice  at  the  bottom,  the  largest  grain  can  be  used  bene- 
ficially. As  the  velocity  of  the  fulminating  gas  is  much 
greater  than  *a  train'  of  gunpowder  ever  can  be,  quick- 
ness is  also  gained  by  their  adoption.  I  have  used  them 
for  many  years  with  great  success ;  nothing  but  cost  deters 
their  general  adoption." 

When  the  percussion  was  first  substituted  for  the  old 
flint-lock,  it  was  found  that  it  was  not  as  pleasant  a  shoot- 
ing weapon  as  the  older  form.  Under  the  mistaken  idea 
that  it  would  lessen  the  recoil,  a  vent  was  made  in  the 
barrel,  just  like  the  vent  of  a  flint-lock  gun,  but  smaller. 
It  was  then  supposed  that  the  percussion  had  been  made 
so  nearly  like  the  flint-lock  that  it  could  not  fail  to  equal 
it  Now,  while  it  is  certain  that  the  vent  does  not  lessen 
the  recoil,  it  is  equally  certain  that  it  greatly  increases  the 
certainty  and  rapidity  of  the  ignition  of  the  charge,  and  it 
does  it  in  this  way :  The  great  obstacle  to  the  entrance  of 
the  fire  from  the  percussion  cap  is  the  air  contained  in  the 
gun,  among  the  grains  of  powder.  Under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances, you  might  as  well  try  to  fill  a  bottle  with 
water  without  letting  out  the  air,  as  to  force  the  flame  of  a 
percussion  cap  into  an  air-tight  barrel.  The  vent,  however, 
allows  a  small  portion  of  the  air  to  escape ;  this  permits 
the  entrance  and  diffusion  of  the  flame  from  the  cap,  and 
the  charge  becomes  thoroughly  ignited. 


24  SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING. 

BREECH-LOADERS  AND  MUZZLE-LOADERS. 

A  decade  has  scarcely  passed  since  breech-loaders  of 
every  description  were  condemned  in  toto  by  all  gunsmiths 
and  sportsmen  of  reputation  and  experience.  Now,  how- 
ever, the  tide  has  turned  in  their  favor :  the  best  makers 
have  undertaken  the  manufacture  of  this  class  of  guns,  and 
it  is  safe  to  predict  that  ere  another  decade  has -passed 
away,  muzzle-loaders  will  be  things  of  the  past.  Looking 
back,  even  from  our  present  standpoint,  it  is  amusing  to 
note  the  positiveness  with  which  all  the  best  writers  de- 
clared against  the  breech-loader.  Frank  Forrester,  for 
example,  alluding  to  Stonehenge's  description  of  the 
Lefaucheux  gun,  pours  out  the  bitterest  ridicule  against 
ail  breech-loaders,  and  especially  against  this  one.  He 
regards  it  as  inefficient  in  practice,  and  worthless  if  it  were 
efficient.  He  finds  fault  with  it  because  it  has  no  nipples, 
and  because  special  cartridges  are  required,  and  concludes 
that  an  active  man  could  charge  a  muzzle-loader,  with 
flask  and  shot-pouch,  as  quickly  as  the  breech-loader 
could  be  charged  with  its  cartridges.  All  this  seems  very 
ridiculous  to  us  now,  and  yet  Herbert  (Frank  Forrester) 
was  a  man  of  good  judgment  in  the  matter  of  guns. 

Nor  did  Herbert  stand  alone  in  this  matter.  Greener, 
in  his  work  entitled  "Gunnery  in  1858,"  devoted  a  whole 
chapter  to  the  abuse  of  the  breech-loader.  J  ust  hear  how 
he  rails  at  them,  especially  because  the  invention  originated  in 
France :  "The  French  system  of  breech-loading  firearms 
is  a  specious  pretence,  the  supposed  advantages  of  which 
have  been  loudly  boasted  of;  but  none  of  these  advantages 
have  as  yet  been  established  by  its  most  strenuous  advo- 
cates. How  it  is  that  the  British  sportsman  has  become 


SHOOTING    ON   THE    W 'ING.  25 

the  dupe  of  certain  men  who  set  themselves  up  for  respec- 
table gun-makers,  I  know  not.  With  regard  to  the  safety 
of  these  guns  they  display  an  utter  want  of  the  most  ordi- 
nary judgment,  "etc.,  etc.  Again  :  "There  is  no  possibility 
of  a  breech-loader  ever  shooting  equal  to  a  well-constructed 
muzzle-loader ;  secondly,  the  gun  is  unsafe,  and  becomes 
more  and  more  unsafe  from  the  first  time  it  is  used ;  and, 
thirdly,  it  is  a  very  costly  affair,  both  as  regards  the  gun 
and  ammunition.  Nor  are  these  negative  qualities  at  all 
compensated  for  by  any  of  the  advantages  claimed  for  these 
guns  by  their  advocates."  Further  on  he  says:  "It  is 
said,  and  said  truly,  that  a  breech-loader  can  be  charged 
more  rapidly  than  a  muzzle-loader ;  but  I  hold  this  to  be 
no  advantage,  for  this  reason — all  guns  can  be  loaded 
more  quickly  than  they  are  fired,  and  the  tendency  of  all 
guns  to  absorb  heat,  puts  a  limit  to  rapidity  of  firing. 
There  are  few  plans,  or  presumed  improvements,  which 
nave  not  some  redeeming  points;  but  in  the  case  of 
breech-loading  firearms,  it  is  quite  a  task  to  find  even  a 
resemblance  to  one.  No  fear  need  be  entertained  that  the 
use  of*  breech-loaders  will  become  general."  This  was 
written  in  1858;  now  (1873)  Mr.  Greener,  or  at  least  his 
son,  manufactures  a  very  excellent  double-barrel  breech- 
loading  shot-gun. 

The  advantages  of  the  breech-loader  are  very  great  and 
important.  First  of  all,  it  can  be  loaded  in  one  tenth  of 
the  time  that  a  muzzle-loader  can  be  charged,  and  this, 
where  wild  fowl  are  flying  thickly  and  for  but  a  short  time, 
as  toward  evening,  is  a  very  important  matter.  Moreover, 
if  the  sportsman  should  chance  to  be  out  in  search  of  one 
kind  of  game  and  should  happen  to  find  game  of  a  different 
kind,  the  charge  can  be  changed  in  a  twinkling.  Thus, 
if  out  shooting  ducks,  and  a  flock  of  geese  should  come 


26  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

in  sight,  the  charge  can  be  changed  before  they  come  into 
shooting  distance.  We  have  often,  when  in  pursuit  of 
ducks,  had  our  dogs  come  to  a  point  on  snipe,  in  which 
case  it  did  not  occupy  a  longer  time  to  change  the  load, 
walk  up  the  bird  and  bag  him,  than  would  have  been 
required  to  simply  draw  a  charge  from  a  muzzle-loader. 
I  It  is  said  that  the  breech-loader  is  safer  than  its  compe- 
,  titor,  and  probably  it  is,  though  either  of  them  are  safe 
enough  in  the  hands  of  a  careful  man,  and  no  gun  is  safe 
when  used  by  the  ignorant  or  reckless.  But  it  is  in  the 
matter  of  cleaning  that  the  breech-loader  possesses  a  de- 
cided advantage  over  the  muzzle-loader.  After  an  ordinary 
day's  shooting  the  latter  requires  a  good  hour's  hard  labor 
before  it  can  be  pronounced  fit  to  be  laid  aside,  while  the 
breech-loader  can  easily  be  cleaned  in  ten  minutes,  and 
the  labor  is  comparatively  easy. 

In  the  early  days  of  the  breech-loader,  it  did  not  shoot 
either  as  strongly  or  as  closely  as  the  muzzle-loader.  This 
was  to  be  anticipated.  It  could  not  be  expected  that  a 
new  gun.  just  invented  and  barely  brought  into  working 
shape,  should  compete  with  a  form  upon  which  'the  best 
talent  of  a  century  had  been  expended.  There  were  per- 
haps two  hundred  breech-loaders  in  existence,  and  these 
were  pitted  against  a  few  guns  picked  out  of  two  hundred 
thousand,  by  the  best  makers.  Even  as  far  back  as  the 
days  of  "The  Field"  trial,  in  1859,  the  breech-loader  was 
ahead  of  all  second-rate  muzzle-loaders;  and  when  we  say 
second-rate,  we  refer  to  the  bulk  of  all  the  highest-priced 
guns  in  use.  To-day  the  breech-loader  is  neck-and-neck 
with  the  muzzle-loader.  That  it  will  ever  beat  the  older 
form  we  very  much  doubt.  That  breech-loading  rifles 
excel  muzzle-loaders  is  well  known,  and  it  is  easy  to  see 
why  they  do  so.  But  we  can  not  see  any  reason  why 


SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING.  27 

either  breech-loading  or  muzzle-loading  shot-guns  should 
excel,  and  we  therefore  believe  that  so  far  as  shooting 
qualities  are  concerned,  they  will  prove  equal.  Thus  faj, 
the  breech-loader  seems  to  demand  more  powder  than  the 
muzzle-loader.  This,  however,  is  not  a  serious  objection. 
Most  persons  believe  that  it  arises  from  the  fact  that  th'e 
muzzle-loader  has  a  better-shaped  chamber  than  the 
breech-loader,  and  we  confess  to  a  suspicion  that  this  idea 
is  not  altogether  unfounded.  Stonehenge  says,  that,  after 
careful  trials  he  could  not  find  that  breeching  made  any 
difference.  Greener  claims  very  earnestly  that  a  properly 
formed  breech  adds  largely  to  the  shooting  powers  of  a 
gun.  From  experiments  which  we  ourselves  have  made 
by  forming  a  temporary  breech  in  a  steel  cartridge,  we  feel 
convinced  that  the  application  of  a  well-formed  breech  will 
add  greatly  to  the  shooting  power  of  a  gun.  To  adapt 
proper  chambers  to  our  cartridges,  however,  would  make 
them  altogether  too  heavy,  and  we  must  therefore '  rest 
content  for  the  present  to  increase  the  quantity  of  powder 
by  a  small  -percentage. 

We  consider  that  it  would  be  premature,  in  these  days 
of  rapid  improvement,  to  recommend  any  particular 
breech-loader  above  others.  We  therefore  refer  our 
readers  to  the  advertisements  which  may  be  found  in  most 
journals  that  go  into  the  hands  of  lovers  of  the  gun. 
The  address  of  one  or  two  reliable  makers  will  be  found 
appended  to  the  present  volume. 

AMMUNITION,   ACCOUTREMENTS,   AND     IMPLE- 
MENTS. 

Good  ammunition  and  accoutrements  are  as  essential  to 
safety  and  good  shooting  as  is  a  good  gun.  Bad  powder 
will  destroy  the  shooting  of  the  best  fowling-piece,  and  a 


28  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

poor  powder-flask  is  almost  as  dangerous  as  worthless 
locks  or  imperfect  barrels.  A  few  hints  on  the  selection 
of  these  articles  will  therefore  prove  of  value  to  the 
novice. 

Powder. — With  the  history  of  the  discovery  of  gun- 
powder and  its  chemical  composition,  the  sportsman  has 
little  to  do,  while  whatever  enables  him  to  select  a  reall) 
good  article,  and  to  preserve  it  after  he  has  got  it,  is  of  the 
utmost  importance.  There  are  a  few  rules  to  be  observed 
in  the  selection  of  powder,  though,  after  all,  the  only  sure 
way  is  to  try  it  in  the  gun,  and  when  we  find  a  really  good 
article,  lay  in  a  supply  sufficient  for  the  season.  Good 
powder  should  be  hard  in  the  grain,  and  made  from 
materials  that  have  been  not  only  thoroughly  mixed  but 
powerfully  compressed  after  being  made  into  cake.  Poor 
powder,  when  rubbed  in  the  hand,  soils  the  skin,  not 
because  it  is  dirty  but  because  it  is  easily  abraded,  or 
rubbed  into  dust.  Such  powder  never  preserves  its  grain 
well,  and  when  a  charge  of  it  is  kept  in  a  gun  or  in  a  car- 
tridge, it  is  apt  to  cake  and  hang  fire.  Moreover,  powder 
of  such  loose  texture  is  peculiarly  liable  to  receive  injury 
from  dampness  or  moisture.  When  the  materials  have  not 
been  well  mixed — and  by  this  is  meant  a  somewhat  more 
thorough  operation  than  merely  stirring  them  together  like 
so  much  porridge — the  particles  of  sulphur  and  charcoal 
do  not  readily  find  their  appropriate  particles  of  nitre,  and 
some  of  the  nitre  and  some  of  the  charcoal  and  sulphur 
remain  uncombined  after  the  explosion.  In  addition  to 
this,  unless  the  incorporating  process  has  been  very  thor- 
oughly performed,  the  proportions  of  these  different  ingre- 
dients, which  may  have  been  precisely  accurate  in  the 
charge  that  was  thrown  into  the  mill,  may  not  be  just  right 
in  each  individual  grain;  and,  in  this  case,  the  powder 


SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING.  29 

will  leave  a  large  residuum.  Again,  if  the  powder  be 
exposed  to  dampness,  the  nitre  is  apt  to  crystallize  and 
separate  from  the  charcoal  and  sulphur,  and  the  powder 
not  only  shoots  weakly  but  fouls  the  gun  badly.  A  guide 
to  the  quality  of  powder  may  be  found  in  these  tests: 
i.  Rub  it  in  the  palm  of  the  hand,  and  if  it  soils  the  skin 
to  any  considerable  extent,  or  if  the  grain  breaks  down, 
reject  it.  We  have  on  hand  some  large-grained  ducking- 
powder,  of  American  manufacture,  of  which  the  grains 
are  so  hard  that  they  can  not  be  broken  up  except 
with  great  difficulty;  and  this  powder  not  only  shoots 
strongly,  but  leaves  the  gun  in  good  condition.  2.  Fire 
a  regular  charge  of  powder  and  shot  at  several  sheets  of 
paper,  just  as  if  you  were  trying  the  quality  of  the  gun,  and 
observe  the  force  with  which  it  throws  the  charge.  Re- 
member, however,  that  in  comparing  powder  of  different 
sizes  of  grain,  you  must  be  careful  to  use  equal  weights. 
A  given  measure  filled  with  large-grained  powder  will  not 
contain  as  much  as  the  same  measure  filled  with  powder 
of  fine  grain.  After  half  a  dozen  shots  have  been  fired, 
examine  the  gun  and  see  if  it  be  very  foul.  Examine  also 
the  character  of  the  residuum.  Some  powder  leaves  a  dry 
residuum  that  is  very  destructive  to  the  gun  on  firing  the 
subsequent  charges.  This  is  especially  the  case  as  regards 
breech-loaders.  The  gun,  if  a  muzzle-loader,  after  stand- 
ing uncharged,  should  be  moist  instead  of  dry.  The 
residuum  from  some  powder  is  so  soft  and  lubricous  that 
it  does  not  interfere  at  all  with  shooting.  3.  Observe  the 
recoil.  The  total  recoil  is  probably  always  the  same  in  the 
same  gun  when  the  shot  is  thrown  with  equal  force.  But 
the  pressure  opposed  by  the  shoulder  being  a  constant 
quantity  of  about  ten  pounds,  it  makes  a  great  difference 
whether  a  recoil  of  seventy  pounds  is  imparted  in  the 


30  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WINfr 

i-5OOth  or  the  i-2OOth  of  a  second.  In  the  first  place,  a 
severe  contusion  might  be  the  result,  while  in  the  latter 
the  recoil  might  be  quite  endurable.  Other  things  being 
equal,  a  slow-shooting  powder  gives  more  force  and  less 
perceptible  recoil  than  a  quick-shooting  article;  and,  as 
the  coarse-grained  powder  is  always,  cateris  paribus,  slower 
than  the  fine  grain,  those  who  require  to  use  heavy  charges 
always  employ  coarse-grained  powder. 

As  few  persons  care  to  keep  more  than  a  flaskful  of 
powder  in  the  house,  it  is  a  matter  of  importance  that 
proper  means  should  be  taken  to  keep  the  main  supplies 
in  good  condition,  even  though  deposited  in  a  barn  or 
out-house.  Bottles,  well  dried  and  warmed,  may  be  filled 
with  powder,  well  corked,  and  sealed  with  a  mixture  of 
equal  parts  of  lard  and  resin.  This  mixture  is  so  soft  and 
adhesive  that  it  may  be  applied  to  the  bottle  without  the 
use  of  a  greater  heat  than  can  be  obtained  from  boiling 
water.  The  best  plan  is  to  dry  the  bottles  carefully,  warm 
them  thoroughly,  and  then  fill  them  with  the  powder  at  a 
distance  from  any  fire.  Cork  them  tightly,  and  dip  the 
corked  necks  in  the  composition  we  have  described,  which 
may  be  kept  hot  in  a  small  tin  pan.  Nearly  as  good  results 
may  be  obtained  by  the  use  of  the  ordinary  tin  canisters, 
which  are  closed  with  a  screw  cap.  A  greased  leather 
washer  must,  however,  be  placed  between  the  cap  and  the 
shoulder  of  the  hole  or  neck.  The  object  of  all  this  is  to 
make  the  vessel  perfectly  air-tight.  If  it  be  not  air-tight, 
then,  as  the  contained  air  expands  and  contracts,  it  will  be 
expelled  and  drawn  in,  and  will  infallibly  draw  in  moisture 
with  it. 

Shot. — The  time  was  when  all  shot  was  home-made, 
and  consisted  of  sheet-lead  cut  up  into  little  cubes  by 
means  of  a  knife.  Those  who  have  read  the  sporting 


SHOOTING    ON  THE   WING,  3l 

literature  of  the  last  century  must  remember  the  discussion 
which  ensued  between  the  advocates  of  the  patent  drop-shot 
and  the  old  form.  Now,  however,  all  the  shot  that  is 
used  is  drop-shot.  Good  shot  is  perfectly  round,  and  of 
great  evenness  in  the  grain.  It  should  be  very  smooth, 
and  well  polished  with  a  very  thin  coating  of  black  lead 
or  plumbago.  This  is  called  the  "patent  finish,"  though 
we  do  not  know  that  there  is  any  patent  about  it,  as  it  has 
been  employed  in  England  for  years  to  polish  not  only 
shot  but  powder.  Quite  a  discussion  is  at  present  going 
on  in  the  advertising  columns  of  the  sporting  papers  in 
regard  to  this  finish,  some  advocating  it  strongly  while 
others  condemn  it  as  worse  than  useless,  declaring  that  it 
fouls  the  gun  and  creates  friction.  We  observe,  however, 
that  some  of  those  who  condemn  Hack  had  advocate  the 
use  of  plumbago,  which  is  precisely  the  same  thing  under 
a  different  name.  It  is,  therefore,  well  that  the  reader 
should  be  informed  as  to  the  true  character  of  this  material, 
and  its  action  when  used  for  polishing  shot. 

Plumbago,  graphite,  or  black  lead,  is  a  peculiar  form 
of  carbon.  It  does  not  contain  one  atom  of  lead,  and  can 
not  possibly  lead  the  barrels,  as  we  ordinarily  understand 
leading.  It  is  perfectly  non-corrodible,  and  when  applied 
to  shot  it  protects  it  perfectly  from  the  action  of  the  air,  so 
that  while  uncoated  shot  soon  becomes  covered  with  a  film 
of  white  oxide,  the  polished  article  resists  the  action  of 
corrosive  vapors  so  long  as  the  coating  of  plumbago  re- 
mains mechanically  perfect.  In  addition  to  these  qualities, 
it  is  the  best  anti-friction  agent  known;  and  if  the  interior 
of  our  barrels  could  only  be  kept  well  covered  with  black 
lead,  pot-metal  guns  would  shoot  nearly  as  well  as  those 
made  of  fine  steel.  We  have  used  it,  mixed  with  a  little 
oil,  to  lubricate  shot-cartridges  in  a  muzzle-loader,  and 


32  SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING. 

found  a  decided  advantage  in  its  use,  the  recoil  being 
lessened  and  the  force  increased ;  but  it  is  so  confoundedly 
dirty  that  no  gentleman  could  employ  it  in  this  way.  It 
might  be  of  service,  however,  in  large  punt-guns.  So 
efficient  are  its  anti-friction  qualities  that  immense  quan- 
tities of  it  are  sold  by  the  American  Graphite  Company, 
of  New  York,  for  lubricating  purposes ;  and  we  are  told 
by  engineers  and  others  who  have  tried  it,  that  it  is  superior 
to  anything  in  the  market. 

These  facts  being  duly  weighed,  we  conclude  that  a  per- 
fect coating  of  black  lead,  graphite,  or  plumbago,  is  of 
advantage  to  shot,  and  that  there  are  no  disadvantages 
attending  its  use. 

In  the  chapter  on  loading  we  have  given  full  directions 
for  the  different  sizes  of  shot  to  be  used.  Let  the  sports- 
man, therefore,  decide  what  are  the  sizes  best  adapted  to 
his  gun,  and  lay  in  a  stock  of  these  kinds,  and  these  only. 
Three — or  at  most  four — sizes  are  in  general  all  that  are 
required;  so  that  we  would  select  from  Nos.  i,  2,  and  3, 
that  with  which,  after  careful  trial,  we  could  do  the  best 
work,  at  sixty  yards,  on  ducks  and  grouse;  the  best  of 
Nos.  4,  5,  and  6,  for  grouse  and  duck  at  forty  yards;  the 
best  of  Nos.  7,  8,  and  9,  for  woodcock  and  quail ;  and 
of  9,  10,  and  n,  for  woodcock  and  snipe.  If  No.  9  suits 
the  gun  well,  it  may  be  used  for  woodcock,  quail,  and 
snipe,  to  the  exclusion  of  the  others,  though  when  quail 
are  very  wild  they  require  a  heavier  shot  than  No.  9.  In 
some  guns  No.  9  shoots  close  enough  for  snipe.  Above 
all,  avoid  mixed  shot.  Half  an  ounce  of  No.  10  and  half 
an  ounce  of  No.  4  mixed  together,  are  no  better  than  half 
an  ounce  of  No.  4  against  duck,  and  very  little  better  than 
half  an  ounce  of  No.  10  at  snipe.  With  one  ounce  of 
No.  7,  which  would  contain  about  the  same  number  of 


SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 


33 


pellets,  the  sportsman  would  stand  a  much  better  chance 
of  bringing  down  either  a  snipe  or  a  mallard.  Almost  all 
shot  sold  at  retail  in  the  stores  gets  mixed.  Lounging 
boobies  come  in,  pick  up  a  handful,  look  at  it  with  the 
wisdom  of  owls,  and  pour  it  back  into  the  wrong  box. 
We  therefore  always  buy  our  shot  in  sacks,  as  it  comes 
direct  from  the  factory.  In  this  way  we  are  certain  of 
getting  it  pure.  A  twenty-five  pound  sack  is  not  a  very 
heavy  investment,  but  to  meet  the  wants  of  those  who  do 
not  care  to  buy  such  large  quantities,  Messrs.  Tatham  put 
up  shot  in  five-pound  bags,  which  are  very  handy.  We 
generally  keep  on  hand  a  twenty-five  pound  bag  each  of 
Nos.  3,  5,  and  9,  and  find  that  they  answer  all  our  require- 
ments. The  following  tables  give  the  sizes  of  English  and 
American  shot : — 

SIZES    OF    ENGLISH    SHOT  (wALKER/s). 


MOULD 

LG  .  . 
M  G  .  . 

S  G 

SHOT        Pellets  to 
U  L  '       an  ounce. 

.    .    .    5i 

.(hardly)  9 
.    1  1 

i  .... 

Pellets  to 
an  ounce. 
.       .        82 

2    .... 

.     112 

^ 

.    135 

S.S.G.  . 

S  S  S  G  . 

PATENT 

AA  .  . 
A  .  .  . 

...    15    . 
...    17 

DROP-  SHOT. 

.      .     .    40 
.    so 

4   .... 

.       .     177 

.     .   218 

6  .... 

.       .     280 

7  . 

.     341 

8  .... 
9  .... 
10  .     .     .     . 

.       .    6OO 

.       .     9^4 
.       .1725 

B  B  .  . 
B  .  .  . 

...    58 
•      •     -   75 

It  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  number  of  pellets  to 
the  ounce  is  seldom  constant.  The  screens  wear  away  and 
allow  larger  and  larger  pellets  to  pass  through,  so  that  just 
before  they  are  renewed  the  number  of  pellets  to  the  ounce 
frequently  varies  considerably  from  what  is  regarded  as  the 
standard  in  new  screens,  though  this  variation  hardly  ever 


34  SHOOTING   ON  THE 

amounts  to  enough  to  affect  our  practice.  We  believe  that 
there  is  no  fixed  standard  among  our  American  manufac- 
turers, a  circumstance  which  is  to  be  greatly  deplored. 
In  the  following  table  we  give  the  sizes  as  determined  by 
ourselves,  from  very  careful  weighing  of  shot  procured 
direct  from  the  manufacturer: — 

TATHAM'S  PATENT  FINISH  SHOT. 

Number  of  pellets  in  one  ounce  of 


Buc 

( 
f 
t 

T1 

T 
BB 
BB 
B 

k,  coo  . 
oo  . 
o  . 
I  . 

2  . 

3  •  • 
B  '.  '.  ! 

•   5i 

•   7 
.   8 
.  ii 
.  14 

.   21 

•   27 
•   30 

•  37 
•  5i 

-  63 

N 

( 
( 

t 

< 
t 
t 
< 
t 

3.  I. 

.   76 

2. 

go 

3.   ... 

4-   .   .   . 

5*  .  •  • 
6.  .  .  . 

7.  ... 
8.  ... 
o. 

.  I  12 

.  146 

.  189 

.  246 

•  333 

.  424 
.  cj.  i 

10.   .   . 

II. 

12. 

.  642 
.  767 
.  907 

Caps. — Good  caps  should  explode  sharply  and  cer- 
tainly, and  ignite  the  powder  easily;  they  should  not  fly 
to  pieces,  or  corrode  the  gun.  Thin  G.  D.  caps  are  dan- 
gerous to  the  eyes,  and  even  though  there  be  no  danger 
in  ordinary  shooting,  yet  if  the  sportsman  should  try  to 
make  a  perpendicular  shot  he  runs  great  risk  of  having 
his  eyes  injured.  Heavy  caps  alone  should  be  used ;  and 
very  excellent  ones  are  now  made  in  this  country.  Three 
fourths  of  all  the  English  caps  in  market  are  made  in 
Connecticut;  and  it  is  cheaper  and  better  to  get  the  genuine 
American  article  than  to  buy  something  of  the  same  kind 
with  a  false  label  on  it  We  use  the  caps  made  by  the 
Waterbury  Flask  and  Cap  Company,  and  find  them 
excellent. 


SHOOTING    ON  THE   W 'ING.  35 

There  are  two  kinds  of  explosive  matter  used  for  caps : 
one  is  fulminate  of  mercury,  and  the  other  is  a  mixture 
of  chlorate  of  potash,  sulphur,  and  sulphuret  of  antimony. 
The  fulminate  of  mercury  is  not  at  all  corrosive,  while 
chlorate  of  potash  gives  rise  to  very  destructive  gases.  It 
is  easy  to  tell  whether  a  cap  is  charged  with  one  or  the 
other,  by  exploding  a  cheap  cap  and  one  of  Eley's  best 
over  a  spirit-lamp  in  a  dark  room,  and  comparing  the 
colors  of  the  flames.  The  chlorate  gives  rise  to  a  flame 
of  a  color  very  different  from  the  mixture  of  fulminate  of 
mercury  and  gunpowder,  which  is  used  in  the  best  caps. 

Wads. — No  sportsman  will  use  anything  but  good 
wads  over  his  powder  and  shot.  Paper,  tow,  etc.,  are 
dangerous  and  ineffective.  The  same  charge  of  powder 
and  shot  when  covered  with  good  wads  will  kill  one  third 
farther  than  when  held  in  place  by  means  of  paper;  there- 
fore the  sportsman  can  not  be  too  careful  in  the  selection 
of  this  article.  As  a  general  rule,  we  use  Eley's  best. 
They  are  somewhat  expensive,  but  they  carry  the  shot  well 
and  clean  the  gun  thoroughly. 

Leather,  old  hats,  pasteboard,  and  the  like,  have  all 
been  recommended,  but  we  dislike  them  all.  Pasteboard 
is  the  least  objectionable;  and,  if  the  reader  should  be 
driven  to  cut  his  own  wads,  he  will  do  well  to  use  it. 

Some  time  ago  we  made  a  very  extensive  series  of  ex- 
periments on  the  effects  of  different  wads.  The  wads 
which  worked  best  were  some  that  we  made  ourselves  out 
of  very  hard  and  thick  pasteboard,  covered  on  the  upper 
side  and  over  the  edges  with  soft  felt  hat,  attached  by  sew- 
ing, and  lubricated  with  oil  and  plumbago.  These,  when 
used  over  the  powder,  carried  the  shot  very  hard  and  close, 
but  they  were  altogether  too  troublesome  to  make,  and  too 
dirty  to  use. 


36  SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING. 

Powder-Flask. — This  should  be  made  of  stout  metal, 
struck  up  in  two  pieces,  which  are  joined  together  along 
the  middle.  The  spring  should  be  free  and  sharp,  and 
the  fittings  of  the  cut-off  so  accurate  that  neither  powder 
nor  flame  can  pass  through.  For  a  really  good  flask  the 
purchaser  must  pay  a  good  price.  Cheap  flasks  are  dan- 
gerous, and  should  be  carefully  avoided.  Excellent  flasks 
can  now  be  obtained  of  American  manufacture. 
1  Shot-Pouch. — This  has  entirely  displaced  the  old 
shot-belt  Two  kinds  of  pouch  are  now  in  market.  The 
first,  of  which  we  have  seen  none  but  those  made  by  Dixon, 
of  Sheffield,  cuts  off  the  charge  from  the  body  of  the  shot 
by  a  turn  of  the_  charger;  the  other,  which  is  now  made 
extensively  in  this  country,  operates  by  means  of  two  slides 
or  gates,  the  rear  one  opening  when  the  charge  falls  into 
the  measure,  and  closing  when  it  is  about  to  be  poured 
into  the  gun.  We  prefer  the  former  kind,  as  being  the 
most  accurate,  but  either  kind  works  well. 

Cap- Chargers  are  a  convenient  mode  of  carrying 
caps,  and  answer  very  well  in  cold  weather,  when  one's 
fingers  are  numb,  but  we  never  use  them. 

Every  gun  should  be  provided  with  nipple-wrench, 
screw-driver,  spring-cramp  for  the  locks,  oil-can,  and 
probes,  wiping-rods,  etc.  These  are  best  kept  in  a  case, 
very  excellent  ones  being  sold  for  about  ten  dollars.  When 
a  gun  is  kept  in  a  neat  case,  and  carefully  cleaned  before 
being  put  away,  it  will  last  three  times  as  long  as  if  kept 
lying  about;  and  if  the  sportsman  should  wish  at  any  time 
to  dispose  of  it,  it  will  sell  for  nearly  twice  as  much. 

HOW   TO    LOAD   THE   GUN. 

Under  this  head  we  have  to  consider  not  only  the  best 
quantities  and  proportions  of  powder  and  shot,  but  the 


SHOOTING    ON  THE   WING.  37 

proper  mode  of  inserting  the  charge  in  the  gun.  If  the 
weapon  be  a  breech-loader,  full  directions  in  regard  to 
the  latter  point  will  be  given  by  the  manufacturer;  but 
where  a  muzzle-loader  is  used,  there  is  a  certain  routine 
to  be  observed,  both  for  the  sake  of  securing  rapidity  and 
certainty,  and  of  avoiding  danger. 

Both  barrels  of  the  gun  being  unloaded,  the  following 
is  the  system  that  we  always  follow:  Grasping  the  barrels 
with  the  left  hand  a  few  inches  below  the  muzzle,  the 
hammers  being  at  half-cock  and  the  gun  in  such  a  posi- 
tion directly  in  front  that  the  trigger-guard  is  toward  the 
person,  we  measure  out  the  proper  quantity  of  powder  for 
a  load,  and  pour  it  into  each  barrel  in  succession ;  and, 
after  returning  the  flask  to  the  pocket,  insert  a  cut  wad  in 
each  barrel,  draw  the  ramrod,  and  press  it  gently  to  the 
bottom.  For  doing  this,  Frank  Forrester  gives  some  very 
excellent  advice,  as  follows  :  ' '  Remember  not  to  grasp  the 
rod,  much  less  cover  the  tip  of  it  with  the  palm  of  your 
hand,  in  ramming  down,  but  to  hold  it  only  between  the 
tips  of  your  fingers  and  thumb.  In  case  of  an  explosion, 
this  difference  in  the  mode  of  holding  it  will  just  make 
the  difference  of  lacerated  finger-tips  or  a  hand  blown  to 
shreds." 

The  rod  may  now  be  held  in  the  same  hand  that  sup- 
ports the  barrels,  while  the  shot  is  carefully  measured  and 
poured  into  them;  wads  are  again  inserted  and  pressed 
home,  and  the  ramrod  returned  to  its  proper  place.  All 
that  now  remains  is  to  cap  the  piece,  and  see  that  the 
hammers  are  at  half-cock. 

If  these  directions  be  minutely  followed,  no  danger  can 
possibly  be  incurred,  and  the  piece  will  be  certain  to  go 
off  if  the  weapon  and  the  ammunition  are  of  good  quality; 
but,  lest  the  reader  should  overlook  any  essential  point; 


88  SHOOTING   Otf  THE   WING. 

we  will  venture  a  few  remarks  upon  some  of  the  steps  de- 
scribed. 

Frank  Forrester  and  many  other  authorities  distinctly 
tell  us  that,  during  the  process  of  loading,  the  hammers 
should  lie  down  upon  the  nipples,  and  that  if  the  piece 
have  been  recently  fired,  the  old  caps  should  not  be  re- 
moved until  after  the  powder  and  shot  are  in  place.  We 
acknowledge  that  where  the  sportsman  is  in  a  great  hurry 
a  little  time  is  saved  by  leaving  the  removal  of  the  old  caps 
to  the  same  operation  as  the  placing  of  the  new  ones.  But 
if  time  can  be  spared,  it  is  always  best  to  leave  the  nipples 
open,  for  this  simple  reason — the  ramming  home  of  the 
wad  creates  an  outward  current  of  air  through  the  nipples, 
and  this  current  carries  the  powder  well  into  the  tubes,  so 
that  a  miss-fire  is  almost  impossible.  When  the  hammer 
rests  on  the  tubes,  the  latter  are  hermetically  sealed,  and 
the  air  which  fills  them  resists  the  entrance  of  the  powder, 
and  a  miss-fire  is  sometimes  liable  to  occur.  Nor  does 
the  bringing  of  the  hammers  to  half-cock  involve  the  loss 
of  so  much  time  as  would  at  first  appear.  The  operation 
is  performed  during  the  lowering  of  the  piece  from  the 
shoulder;  and  if  the  entire  process  of  loading  is  made 
a  matter  of  habit,  as  it  ought  to  be,  there  will  be  very 
little  time  lost.  Moreover,  the  sportsman  ought,  by  all 
means,  to  acquire  a  regular  system,  and  stick  to  it.  He 
will  then  follow  out,  as  it  were  by  instinct,  his  regular 
habits  during  periods  of  excitement  and  hurry,  and  will 
not  make  those  mistakes  which,  in  the  hands  of  the  ner- 
vous and  inexperienced,  render  the  best  firearm  little  better 
than  a  broomstick.  Those  who  have  never  accustomed 
themselves  to  one  set  round,  are  apt,  when  a  time  for  haste 
comes,  to  pour  all  their  shot  into  one  barrel  and  all  their 
powder  into  the  other;  to  break  their  ramrod,  omit  a  wad 


SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING,  39 

between  the  powder  and  the  shot  or  over  the  shot,  and  a 
dozen  other  blunders,  any  one  of  which  is  enough  to  spoil 
their  sport  during  the  remainder  of  the  day.  An  old  hand, 
on  the  contrary,  loads  by  instinct :  with  one  eye  on  the 
game  and  the  other  on  his  gun,  he  marks  down  his  birds 
or  watches  a  grizzly  with  equal  coolness,  while  powder, 
wad,  shot,  and  wad,  follow  each  other  with  the  regularity 
of  clockwork  and  the  rapidity  of  legerdemain ;  so  that  ere 
the  novice  has  his  first  charge  of  powder  measured  out,  the 
weapon  of  the  old  sportsman  is  at  his  shoulder  and  dis- 
charged. All  the  result  of  rule,  system,  and  habit. 

In  forcing  down  a  wad  on  the  powder,  do  it  with  a 
moderate  degree  of  slowness,  as,  if  the  wad  be  forced  down 
with  very  great  rapidity,  the  air  maybe  compressed  to  such 
a  degree  as  to  ignite  the  charge. 

Always  see  that  the  barrels  maintain  such  a  position 
that  if  they  should  be  accidentally  discharged  the  contents 
will  fly  past  and  not  through  you. 

When  but  one  barrel  is  to  be  loaded  (the  other  barrel 
being  still  charged),  it  is  well  to  drop  the  ramrod  into  the 
undischarged  barrel,  in  order  to  make  sure  that  the  shock 
of  the  explosion  has  not  disturbed  the  charge  in  it. 

And  if,  while  doing  so,  a  pellet  of  shot  should  roll  down 
the  wrong  barrel  and  wedge  the  ramrod  so  that  you  can 
not  get  it  out,  do  not  tug  and  strain  in  the  hope  of  ex- 
tracting the  ramrod  by  main  force.  By  so  doing,  you 
will,  in  all  probability,  break  it,  if  you  do  not  cause  a 
more  serious  accident.  If  you  have  not  already  done  so, 
place  a  wad  over  the  shot  that  you  have  just  poured  in,  so 
as  to  make  sure  that  it  does  not  fall  out ;  raise  the  ramrod 
gently,  and  while  it  is  in  this  position,  invert  the  barrels, 
placing  them  with  the  muzzle  downward.  Then,  with  the 
tip  of  your  finger,  press  the  ramrod  upward,  and  the  shot 


40  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

will  drop  out  of  itself,  after  which  the  ramrod  is,  of  course, 
easily  withdrawn. 

Having  thus  disposed  of  the  manner  of  loading,  we  now 
proceed  to  consider  the  question,  What  constitutes  the  best 
charge  for  a  gun  ? 

Upon  this  subject  the  most  diverse  directions  are  to  be 
found.  One  writer  tells  us  to  beware  of  over-loading,  and 
advises  one  and  a  half  drams  of  powder  and  one  ounce  of 
shot  as  the  best  charge;  another  recommends  four  drams 
of  powder  and  one  and  a  half  ounces  of  shot.  Frank 
Forrester  gives  three  and  a  half  drams  of  powder  and  one 
and  a  half  ounces  of  shot  as  the  proper  charge  for  a  gun 
of  number  fourteen  gauge,  thirty-one  inch  barrels,  and 
eight  pounds  weight.  Greener  tells  us  that  a  fourteen 
gauge  gun  should  never  be  loaded  with  more  than  one 
and  a  quarter  ounces  of  shot,  and  that  one  ounce  is  amply 
sufficient  for  a  fifteen  gauge  gun,  the  amount  of  powder 
used  being  as  great  as  can  be  conveniently  burned.  At 
"The  Field  "gun  trial,  two  and  three  quarter  drams  of 
powder  and  one  and  a  quarter  ounces  of  shot  was  the 
charge  used  in  muzzle-loaders  of  seven  pounds  weight, 
twelve  gauge,  and  thirty-inch  barrels.  Breech-loaders 
were  allowed  an  extra  quarter  dram  of  powder. 

Our  own  opinion  is  that  for  every  gun  there  is  a  certain 
size  of  shot  and  weight  of  charge  with  which  it  will  do 
most  effectual  execution,  and  we  also  believe  that  every 
gun  is  best  adapted  to  a  special  grain  and  quantity  of 
powder;  and  that  if,  by  careful  experiment,  the  sportsman 
will  find  out  just  what  these  quantities  and  qualities  are, 
he  will  very  soon  distance  all  competitors.  To  determine 
all  these  points,  and  the  best  combination  of  them,  is  not, 
however,  as  easy  a  matter  as  might  at  first  be  supposed. 
For,  if  we  find,  by  experiment,  that  with  a  certain  charge 


SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING.  41 

of  powder  and  weight  and  size  of  shot,  a  gun  does  good 
work,  we  may,  by  altering  either  the  weight  or  the  size  of 
shot,  find  that  a  different  grained  powder  will  answer 
better;  and  perhaps  the  new  combination  will  give  better 
results  than  any  that  we  have  previously  tried.  Moreover, 
in  shooting  different  varieties  of  game  under  different  con- 
ditions, different  charges  must  be  used.  The  heavy 
charges  and  large-grained  shot  used  for  duck-shooting, 
would  be  obviously  unsuited  to  woodcock  and  snipe. 
Fortunately,  however,  the  latter  kind  of  game  does  not 
demand  the  hardest  and  closest  shooting ;  and  therefore 
we  may  adapt  our  charges  to  the  special  purpose  we  have 
in  view,  without  seeking  to  attain  the  very  greatest  close- 
ness and  force.  But  if  we  go  in  pursuit  of  ducks  or 
grouse,  we  will  find  that  our  gun  will  be  taxed  to  the 
utmost  as  regards  its  hard-hitting  and  close-shooting 
powers ;  and  therefore  it  will  stand  us  in  good  stead  to 
find  out  precisely  the  weight  and  size  of  shot  that  can  be 
most  efficiently  used  to  cover  a  space  of  say  thirty  inches 
in  diameter  at  forty  yards.  To  begin  our  experiments,  we 
must  take  some  size  of  shot  as  a  standard,  and  for  this  we 
prefer  No.  5,  as  a  gun  may  be  loaded  with  it  so  as  to 
bring  down  either  a  mallard  or  a  woodcock.  Beginning 
then  with  one  and  a  quarter  ounces  of  No.  5,  let  us  try 
this  weight  of  shot  with  various  proportions  of  powder, 
beginning  say  with  two  drams  and  ending  with  as  heavy 
a  charge  as  the  gun  will  bear.  It  is  probable  that  as  we 
increase  the  charge  of  powder  the  shot  will  be  driven 
harder,  but  without  any  very  great  increase  of  dispersion 
at  first.  Very  soon,  however,  the  shot  will  begin  to  scatter, 
and  when  this  feature  becomes  too  prominent,  it  shows 
that  we  have  gone  beyond  the  right  point.  Before  de- 
creasing the  amount  of  powder,  however,  let  us  take 


42  SHOOTING    ON   THE   ITIN&. 

away  some  of  the  shot,  trying  successively  one  and  one 
eighth,  and  one  ounce,  and  noting  the  results.  If  a  dimi- 
nution in  the  quantity  of  shot,  without  a  diminution  in 
the  charge  of  powder,  brings  us  back  to  the  best  shooting 
of  the  gun,  it  shows  that  one  and  a  quarter  ounces  is  too 
much ;  and  for  our  future  experiments  one  ounce  or  one 
and  one  eighth  ounces  will  answer  better  as  the  standard 
weight  of  shot.  In  this  way  it  is  easy  to  find  out  the  best 
proportions  of  powder,  and  No.  5  shot  and  this  gives  us  a 
starting  point  from  which  we  may  determine  the  influence 
of  variations  in  the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  two  elements 
of  the  charge.  With  the  standard  charge  of  powder  try 
various  weights  of  Nos.  6  and  4,  and  if  it  be  found  that 
either  of  these  sizes  suit  the  gun  better  than  No.  5,  let  it 
be  adopted  by  all  means.  Having  in  this  way  determined 
the  best  size  of  shot  and  the  proper  quantity  for  a  charge, 
let  us  now  proceed  to  determine  the  kind  of  powder  that 
is  best  adapted  to  the  particular  gun  in  use.  Some  authori- 
ties intimate  that  the  grain  of  the  powder  is  determined  by 
the  length  and  calibre  of  the  barrels.  It  is  evident,  how- 
ever, that  the  character  of  the  breech,  and  of  the  channel 
by  which  the  cap  communicates  fire  to  the  charge,  has  a 
great  deal  to  do  with  it.  Do  not,  therefore,  rely  upon 
deductions  based  upon  general  principles,  but  determine 
each  point  by  actual  experiment.  Taking  the  size  and 
charge  of  shot  that  is  found  to  suit  best,  try  it  with  various 
quantities  of  powder  of  different  degrees  of  fineness.  Select 
that  which  is  found  to  answer  best,  and  with  this  charge 
again  test  the  accuracy  of  your  previous  conclusions  in 
regard  to  the  best  weight  and  size  of  shot. 

The  object  of  all  this  laborious  investigation  is  to  find 
out  the  charge  with  which  a  circle  thirty  inches  in  diameter 
can  be  covered  most  evenly  and  struck  most  forcibly  by 


SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING.  43 

any  one  of  the  several  sizes — Nos.  4,  5,  and  6.  It  is  not  a 
matter  of  much  consequence  which,  as  any  one  of  them 
will  give  a  good  account  of  duck  or  grouse  at  forty  yards. 
Having  determined  this  point,  "make  a  note  on't,"  and 
use  the  charge  thus  indicated  whenever  you  have  to  put 
forth  your  best  efforts.  Nor  will  you  deem  the  labor  too 
great  when  you  reflect  that  imperfect  performance  on  the 
part  of  the  gun  renders  useless  the  best  skill  in  finding  the 
game  and  aiming  the  piece. 

In  our  own  gun,  which  is  twelve  gauge  and  twenty-eight 
inch  barrels,  protracted  experiment  has  led  us  to  adopt 
one  and  a  quarter  ounces  of  No.  5  shot,  propelled  by 
three  drams  of  very  coarse-grained  powder.  This  charge 
may  not  suit  other  guns  of  even  the  same  calibre,  length, 
and  weight, — as  smoothness,  freeing,  opening,  etc.,  all 
influence  the  result  somewhat.  But  we  feel  convinced  that 
when  a  man  tells  us  that  the  great  secret  of  successful 
shooting  lies  in  using  one  and  a  half  drams  of  powder  and 
seven  eighths  of  an  ounce  of  shot  in  a  gun  of  fourteen 
gauge  or  larger,  we  feel  convinced  that  his  experience  must 
have  been  obtained  by  shooting  at  very  tame  birds.  With 
this  amount  of  powder,  of  any  kind  in  the  New  Yo'rk  mar- 
ket, it  would  be  utterly  impossible  to  bring  down  either  a 
mallard,  a  quail,  or  an  October  woodcock,  at  forty  yards. 
And  when  we  find  authors  like  Haswell  quoting  and 
indorsing  these  absurd  directions,  in  works  intended  for 
practical  and  scientific  men,  it  tends  greatly  to  lessen  our 
confidence  in  our  popular  authors. 

The  charge  which  we  have  described  so  minutely,  is,  of 
course,  to  be  used  only  in  shooting  game  of  medium  size 
at  fair  distances.  If  we  shoot  at  long  distances,  or  at  very 
small  or  very  large  birds,  it  will  be  necessary  to  make  a 
change  in  the  size  of  shot  used.  For  very  long  ranges, 


44  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

Nos.  3,  2,  and  even  i,  may  sometimes  prove  serviceable. 
Indeed,  we  have  seen  teal  ducks  brought  to  bag  with  BB 
shot ;  but  in  this  case  the  chances  were  very  greatly  in  favor 
of  the  duck.  One  of  these  large  pellets  striking  a  bird  in 
a  vital  part,  will  kill  even  at  a  distance  of  one  hundred 
yards,  but  the  chances  against  hitting  are  as  a  thousand  to 
one.  Upon  this  point,  "The  Dead  Shot"  makes  the  fol- 
lowing sensible  remarks:  "The  chances  are  six  to  one 
against  killing  a  sparrow,  either  sitting  or  flying,  at  thirty 
yards,  with  No.  4  shot;  whereas,  with  the  same  gun,  at 
the  same  distance,  a  sparrow  may  be  killed  with  certainty, 
either  sitting  or  flying,  with  No.  10  shot." 

There  are,  however,  special  circumstances  under  which 
it  is  advisable  to  violate  this  rule ;  and  to  select,  if  possible, 
a  size  of  shot  which  will  answer  for  several  kinds  of  game. 
Mills,  a  very  sensible  writer  on  shooting,  advises  the  use 
of  but  one  kind  of  shot  in  all  such  cases,  and  gives  the 
following  reasons  for  so  doing:  "For  every  kind  of  shoot- 
ing, when  you  may  wish  to  be  prepared  for  a  pheasant 
down  to  a  John  Snipe,  No.  6  will  fill  your  bag,  and  give 
you  more  success  than  any  changeable  plan  you  may  adopt. 
To  give  an  instance  of  what  varying  the  size  of  your  shot 
may  do,  I  shall  relate  a  laughable  occurrence  that  befel  a 
young  friend  of  mine,  not  forty-eight  hours  previously  to 
my  recording  it  on  this  page.  There  were  a  few  ducks 
reported  to  have  dropped  within  a  short  distance  from  his 
home.  Charging  his  best  double-barrel  with  No.  4,  he 
sallied  forth,  bent  upon  their  destruction.  In  crossing  a 
moor  toward  the  narrow  stream  in  which  report  stated  the 
ducks  were  to  be  found,  a  couple  of  snipes  flapped  from 
the  rush.  Bang  1  bang !  roared  his  piece ;  but  the  fleet- 
pinioned  birds  threw  back  a  triumphant  *  scape,'  and 
winged  away,  long  after  every  pellet  of  No.  4  had  spent 


SHOOTING   ON  THE   W 'ING.  45 

its  force  in  the  air.  Assigning  the  magnitude  of  the  pellets 
as  the  cause  of  his  missing,  and  in  the  belief  that  he  should 
find  more  of  the  puzzling  and  quick-winged  snipes,  he 
loaded  with  dust  shot.  Scarcely,  however,  had  he  put  caps 
upon  his  nipples,  when  a  fine  mallard  rose  within  easy 
range.  As  the  broadside  poured  into  him,  he  merely  in- 
creased the  speed  of  his  departure.  Now,  supposing  there 
to  be  no  fault  behind  the  trigger,  No.  6  would  have  brought 
down  all  three  of  these  birds ;  whereas  by  charging  with 
shot  for  a  particular  purpose,  which  the  Fates  decreed  to 
be  frustrated,  the  whole  of  them  escaped/'  That  there  is 
much  force  in  this  illustration,  no  one  can  deny.  We 
have  often  killed  snipe  with  No.  5  shot,  and  ducks  with 
No.  7,  so  that  it  would  be  fair  to  expect  that  No.  6,  which 
is.  a  mean  between  the  two,  would  prove  effective  against 
either  or  both.  And  notwithstanding  the  ease  and  rapidity 
with  which  breech-loaders  may  be  loaded  and  unloaded, 
it  is  utterly  impossible  to  make  a  change  after  the  bird  is 
on  the  wing.  Therefore,  where  a  variety  of  game  .is  to 
be  met  with,  the  adoption  of  a  medium-sized  shot  is  un- 
doubtedly the  only  way  to  make  a  bag,  though  where 
either  snipe  or  duck  are  followed  to  the  exclusion  of  other 
birds,  a  size  larger  or  a  size  smaller  would,  beyond  all 
question,  give  better  results. 

For  very  long  ranges,  we  must  use  either  Eley's  car- 
tridges or  very  large  shot.  We  prefer  the  former,  as  the 
chances  of  hitting  are  much  greater  where  a  cartridge^  is 
used  than  where  loose  shot  of  large  size  is  employed. 
With  a  fourteen  gauge  gun,  seven  and  a  half  pounds  weight, 
the  heaviest  shot  that  could  be  used,  with  any  degree  of 
good  judgment,  would  be  No.  2,  and  this  could  not  be 
expected  to  retain  sufficient  momentum  to  kill  at  any  dis 
tance  beyond  sixty  yards,  unless  it  struck  a  peculiarly  vital 


4f>  SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING. 

part.  It  is  true  that  a  single  pellet  of  No.  2  might  fly  so 
strongly  for  one  hundred  yards  as  to  kill,  but  the  chances 
of  killing  would  be  quite  as  great  with  a  rifle  as  with  a 
shot-gun  at  this  distance.  And  as  the  greatest  charge  that 
could  be  conveniently  fired  from  such  a  gun  would  be 
one  and  a  half  ounces,  containing  one  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  pellets  of  shot,  the  chances  of  hitting,  even 
at  sixty  yards,  would  be  very  slight.  With  a  wire  cartridge, 
containing  No.  4  shot,  the  chances  are  as  three  to  two  that 
the  bird  will  be  killed.  Consequently,  where  game  is  wild 
and  difficult  to  reach,  we  always  use  a  wire  cartridge  in 
one  barrel,  but  only  in  one,  as  the  cartridge  carries  its  shot 
altogether  too  closely  to  be  useful  at  short  distances.  We 
speak  now,  of  course,  of  the  green  cartridge  used  for  long 
distances ;  for  we  never  use  cartridges  in  ordinary  shooting, 
loose  shot  being  sufficiently  effective. 

For  very  large  birds,  such  as  turkeys,  swans,  wild  geese, 
etc.,  large  shot  must  be  employed.  Experts  recommend 
Nos,  i,  B,  and  even  BB.  For  small  game,  such  as  snipe, 
woodcock,  and  quail,  small-sized  shot  must  be  used.  The 
body  of  any  one  of  these  three  birds  is  so  small  that  it  takes 
a  close-shooting  gun  and  small  shot  to  hit  them  at  all, 
though  when  they  are  struck  it  does  not  require  a  very  hard 
blow  to  bring  them  down.  Our  favorite  charge  for  wood* 
cock  and  quail  is  one  ounce  of  No.  8  shot  and  two  and 
three  quarter  drams  of  powder.  For  snipe  we  use  one 
ounce  of  No.  9,  which  contains  twenty-five  per  cent  more 
pellets.  But  as  it  is  possible  that  a  size  above  or  below 
these  numbers  might  suit  the  gun  better,  the  sportsman 
will  do  well  to  find  out  by  experiment  the  best  size,  and 
vise  that  only. 

The  sportsman  must  always  bear  in  mind  that  where 
very  large  or  very  small  shot  are  used,  there  will  be  con* 


SHOOTING    ON   THE   WING.  47 

siderable  difference  between  the  weights  of  equal  measures. 
A  given  measure  of  small  shot  will  weigh  considerably 
more  than  the  same  measure  of  large  shot,  although  look- 
ing at  the  large  pellets  we  might  think  that  the  opposite 
would  be  the  case.  The  point  is  worth  noting,  however, 
as  even  professedly  scientific  men  have  been  misled  in 
regard  to  it.  *  The  same  is  true  in  regard  to  powder  of 
large  or  small  grain,  and  it  will  also  be  found  that  a  given 
weight  of  large-grained  powder  or  large-sized  shot  will 
measure  much  more  in  a  tube  of  small  calibre  than  in  one 
of  large  diameter.  Mistakes  have  often  occurred  from  a 
want  of  attention  to  this  point,  though  when  it  is  once 
brought  to  the  sportsman's  notice,  he  will  find  no  difficulty 
in  making  allowance  for  it. 

This  also  explains  in  a  measure  the  advantage  which 
arises  from  the  use  of  large-bore  guns  for  throwing  shot. 
A  charge  of  No.  i,  which  measures  two  cubic  inches,  in 
a  gun  of  number  five  gauge,  will  occupy  more  than  two 
cubic  inches  in  a  gun  of  fourteen  gauge.  Mathematicians 
will  find  no  difficulty  in  understanding  the  causes  which 
give  rise  to  this  startling  paradox ;  practical  men  who  doubt 
the  truth  of  our  statement  can  easily  satisfy  themselves  by 
experiment. 

To  recapitulate;  our  charges  of  shot  are  as  follows :  Nos. 
8  and  9,  one  ounce ;  No.  5,  one  and  a  quarter  ounces  ; 
No.  3,  one  and  three  eighth  ounces;  No.  i  and  B,  one 
and  a  half  ounces;  BB,  one  and  three  quarter  ounces. 
It  is  not  claimed  that  these  measures  will  give  equal 
weights  of  shot,  but  when  we  use  a  size  having  so  few  as 
fifty  pellets  to  the  ounce  (BB)  we  must  increase  our  charge, 

*  Professor  Johnson,  of  Yale  College,  tells  us  in  the  Agricultural  Annual  for 
1867  (p.  77),  that  a  pint  of  snipe-shot  does  not  weigh  as  much  as  a  pint  of  duck* 
thot !  If  the  Professor  will  only  try  the  experiment  he  will  find  out  his  mistake. 


48  SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING. 

as  with  less  than  ninety  pellets  the  chances  of  hitting  are 
altogether  too  small.  There  are  other  reasons  why  the  old 
rule  of  measure  for  measure  will  not  hold  good.  Powder 
differs  greatly  in  its  specific  gravity,  and,  as  we  have  seen, 
the  same  weight  occupies  different  spaces  according  to  the 
size  of  the  grain  and  the  diameter  of  the  tube  in  which  it 
is  measured.  To  give  a  table  of  proportionate  weights 
and  measures,  as  has  been  done  by  a  recent  writer,  is  to 
lead  to  error.  Let  no  man  who  desires  accuracy  trust  to 
the  old  rule  of  measure  for  measure. 

Before  leaving  this  subject,  it  may  be  proper  to  allude 
to  a  method  which  is  sometimes  adopted  by  very  excellent 
shots.  It  is  that  of  using  very  light  charges  of  powder  and 
very  heavy  charges  of  coarse  shot.  For  long  shots  this 
plan  answers  admirably, — the  fact  that  heavy  grains  of  shot 
oppose  less  surface  to  the  air,  and  consequently  meet  with 
less  resistance,  enabling  them  to  keep  up  their  momentum 
long  after  small  shot,  which  started  with  a  far  higher  initial 
velocity,  has  entirely  lost  its  force.  The  small  charge  of 
powder  does  not  scatter  the  shot  as  does  a  large  charge; 
and  the  result  is,  that  if  the  gun  be  well  made  and  carefully 
directed,  a  large  bird  like  a  grouse  or  duck  may  be  fatally 
struck  at  extraordinary  distances.  But  at  ordinary  ranges 
such  charges  strike  the  game  so  as  to  mangle  it  horribly, 
and  they  are  therefore  only  used  by  pot-hunters. 

This  is  by  no  means  a  new  dodge,  but  has  long  been 
practised  by  those  who  care  more  for  game  than  for  sport. 
Colonel  Hanger,  in  his  famous  book  on  sporting,  gives 
the  pros  and  cons  very  clearly,  thus:  ' '  Gentlemen-sportsmen, 
1  can  have  no  personal  or  self-interested  view  in  requesting 
you  for  two  or  three  days  to  shoot  with  No.  2,  patent,— 
you  who  at  present  shoot  with  Nos.  5  and  6.  Don't  begin 
to  try  it  till  October,  when  the  birds  are  strong,  and  rise 


SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING.  49 

at  a  much  greater  distance.  I  give  you  my  word,  from 
convincing  practice,  that  two  shots  of  No.  2  will  kill  a  bird 
at  above  seventy  yards;  when  seven  of  No.  5  or  6  will  only 
maim  the  bird,  but  wound  him  so  that,  although  he  will 
fly  away,  and  you  never  get  him,  he  undoubtedly  may  die. 
At  least,  gentlemen,  I  think  it  is  fairly  worthy  of  giving  it 
a  trial ;  but  let  me  ask  you  a  question  :  Do  you  ever  expect 
to  kill  an  old  hare  with  No.  5  or  6,  at  seventy  yards?  Upon 
my  word,  she  will  canter  on  and  laugh  at  you.  I  assure 
you,  on  my  word,  /  have  killed  some  dozens  above  seventy 
yards  with  No.  2.  ...  I  beg  leave  to  call  your  attention 
to  two  facts  which  are  stated  in  the  foregoing  pages :  the 
first  is,  my  having  killed  a  partridge  above  seventy  yards,— 
put  three  shots  into  him,  two  of  which  went  in  behind, 
passed  through  his  body,  and  went  out  at  his  breast.  The 
second  is,  having  killed  a  hare, — putting  three  or  four 
shot  into  her,  at  above  eighty  yards.  Can  you  do  the  same 
with  No.  5  or  6?  I  answer,  No,  you  can  not;  it  is  not 
possible.  Upon  my  word,  I  should  not  imagine  that  I 
should  be  in  any  degree  of  danger  of  receiving  material 
injury,  were  I  to  allow  any  person  to  fire  at  my  hinder 
parts,  at  four-score  yards,  with  No.  6,  provided  I  had  a 
good  pair  of  buckskin  breeches,  and  particularly  had  I  a 
great  coat  on, — not  of  any  particular  thick  cloth,  but  super- 
fine only.  I  do  not  believe  that  any  shot  would  penetrate 
that  coat  strong  enough  even  to  give  me  pain.  So  firm  is 
my  preference  of  No.  2  to  No.  5  or  6  that  I  think  the  point 
can  not  be  contested." 

That  there  is  much  truth  in  what  the  colonel  states  is 
undeniable,  but  those  who  have  read  his  racy  though 
rather  plain-spoken  book,  can  not  have  failed  to  observe 
that  he  is  somewhat  inclined  to  poaching, — for  we  do  not 
confine  this  term  to  those  only  who  are  in  the  habit  of 


50  SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING, 

stealing  game  and  trespassing :  it  may  be  properly  applied 
to  those  who,  like  Colonel  Hanger,  resort  to  traps  and  un- 
usual methods  for  catching  game.  Setting  baited  rat-traps 
beneath  the  surface  of  water,  in  the  hope  of  catching  wild 
fowl,  is  certainly  not  a  sportsmanlike  practice. 


HOW  TO   CLEAN   THE   GUN. 

Our  system  of  cleaning  is  somewhat  different  from  that 
usually  laid  down  by  the  "authorities;"  and,  whether 
better  or  worse,  we  prefer  it  to  any  that  we  have  seen  de- 
scribed. As  the  reader  may,  however,  like  to  have  a  choice 
of  several  methods,  we  will  describe  the  processes  advo- 
cated by  the  best  sportsmen. 

Frank  Forrester  tells  us  that  the  residuum  of  the  gun- 
powder exploded,  and  of  the  igniting  substance  of  the 
copper  caps,  has  the  effect  of  producing  the  worst  sort  of 
oxidation  of  the  metal  of  the  barrels,  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  according  to  the  humidity  of  the  atmosphere,  and 
that  the  purest  barrels  are  rusted  the  most  easily,  and  suffer 
the  more  detriment  by  rusting.  Therefore,  says  he,  no 
man  who  owns  a  fine  gun,  or  any  gun  which  he  values, 
ought  ever  to  put  it  aside  after  use  without  cleaning,  even 
if  he  have  fired  but  a  single  shot.  Watts,  in  the  following 
lines,  insists  upon  the  same  course: — 

"  If  fired  only  once  a  day, 
'Twere  wrong  to  put  your  piece  away 
Unwashed,  because  you'll  always  find 
Some  filth  corrosive  left  behind. 
As  soon  as  you  from  sport  return — 
(The  following  words  let  each  one  learn, 
Seeing  them  all  in  order  done) — 
Feed  dog — feed  self — and  clean  your  gun  ! " 


SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING.  51 

Herbert  (Frank  Forrester)  directs  us  to  wash  out  the 
barrels  with  cold  *  water,  using  a  good  stout  hickory  rod 
and  some  fine  tow  wrapped  round  the  brass  jag  that  screws 
into  it.  This  is  to  be  worked  up  and  down  in  the  barrels 
until  the  water  passes  through  perfectly  pure,  and  the  tow 
comes  out  quite  clean.  The  barrels  are  then  to  be  filled 
with  boiling  hot  water,  inverted  so  as  to  bring  the  muzzles 
down,  and  let  the  water  all  drain  out;  and,  after  standing 
five  minutes  by  a  warm  fire,  thoroughly  dried  by  hard 
friction  with  fresh  dry  tow.  The  interior  of  the  barrels  are 
then  to  be  oiled  with  a  very  little  oil ;  the  nipples  and  their 
seats,  as  well  as  the  faces  of  the  strikers,  are  to  be  cleaned, 
oiled,  and  wiped  dry. 

Similar  directions  are  given  by  Dr.  Lewis,  Stonehenge, 
Elaine,  the  author  of  "The  Dead  Shot,"  and  others,  and 
they  are  substantially  the  directions  that  have  been  embo- 
died in  doggerel  verse  by  Watts. 

Having  had  probably  as  much  experience  as  most  men 
in  the  using  and  cleaning  of  guns,  we  have  never  felt  the 
necessity  for  using  water,  under  ordinary  circumstances. 
Whenever  water  is  used,  it  is  the  most  difficult  thing  in  the 
world  to  remove  it  completely  from  those  inaccessible 
crevices  which  are  to  be  found  in  every  gun,  especially 
about  the  seat  of  the  cones  and  the  chambers.  Into  these 
the  drying-tow  can  not  enter,  and  the  result  is  that  it  lies 
there  and  corrodes  the  barrels  more  injuriously  than  would 
the  dirt  from  a  dozen  charges  of  powder.  For,  Frank 
Forrester  and  others  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  the 
residuum  from  good  gunpowder  is  not  very  injurious  to 
iron  or  steel.  We  have  now  before  us  a  piece  of  a  very 
fine  barrel,  six  inches  long,  in  which  several  charges  of 
powder  were  fired  about  six  months  ago;  and  after  the 

*  The  United  States  Ordnance  Manual  directs  the  use  of  warm  water. 


52  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

lapse  of  that  time,  no  corrosion  has  appeared,  though  on 
the  outside,  where  a  little  moisture  was  left  by  contact  with 
the  hands,  the  rust  has  penetrated  quite  deeply.  As  to  the 
corrosive  power  of  the  gas  from  percussion  caps,  the  reader 
would  do  well  to  refer  to  our  chapter  on  that  subject.  Well- 
made  gunpowder,  when  burned,  does  not  leave  behind 
any  acid  residuum,  but  rather  one  that  is  slightly  alkaline, 
and  consequently  preservative. 

That  we  do  not  exaggerate  in  regard  to  the  difficulty  of 
removing  the  last  traces  of  water,  the  following  quotation 
from  Dr.  Lewis's  "  Hints  to  Sportsmen "  will  show:  "If  any 
of  our  readers  doubt  this  fact,  let  him  clean  his  gun,  and 
wipe  it  out  as  thoroughly  as  possible  with  the  softest  rags  ; 
then  let  him  remove  the  nipples,  and  he  will  find  a  drop 
of  water,  or  at  all  events  a  great  deal  of  moisture,  at  the 
very  bottom  of  the  chamber.  We  have  tried  it  over  and 
over  again  with  our  guns,  and  have  always  found  such  to 
be  the  case." 

After  a  day's  ordinary  shooting,  we  proceed  as  follows : 
Having  drawn  the  ramrod,  and  brought  the  locks  to  half- 
cock,  we  remove  the  barrels  from  the  stock,  and  hold  them 
with  the  muzzle  down.  We  then  brush  the  breeches  out 
carefully  by  means  of  a  fine  brush,  made  either  of  brass 
wire  or  stiff  bristles.  The  object  of  this  is  to  remove  any 
solid  residuum  that  may  remain  in  the  barrels,  and  prevent 
it  getting  into  the  cones  or  chambers.  We  then  take  a 
well-oiled  rag — preferably  of  coarse  flannel — six  inches 
square.  Tow  should  never  be  used,  as  it  is  neither  as 
convenient  nor  as  safe.  Neither  should  linen  or  cotton 
rags  be  employed,  as  they  may  give  rise  to  serious  acci- 
dents. A  small  particle  of  tow,  cotton,  or  linen,  left  in 
the  breech  of  the  gun  will  ignite  at  the  first  discharge,  and 
may  remain  in  the  barrels  and  fire  the  powder  that  is 


SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING. 


53 


poured  in  to  re-load  ;  and  accidents  from  this  source  are 
too  common  to  wan  ant  us  in  neglecting  proper  precau- 
tions against  them.  With  flannel,  woollen  cloth,  or  sponge, 
such  an  accident  can  not  occur. 

The  rag  we  fold  twice,  giving  four  thick- 
nesses, and  place  it  on  the  end  of  a  stout 
hickory  rod,  having  a  notch  around  the  lower 
end,  as  shown  in  the  figure.  Both  barrels 
are  wiped  out  with  this,  the  rag  being  opened 
and  re-folded  so  as  to  give  eight  fresh  surfaces. 
By  the  time  these  eight  surfaces  are  soiled  the 
barrels  will  be  perfectly  clean.  They  should 
then  be  rubbed  dry  with  a  clean  rag,  after 
which  they  may  be  safely  put  away,  with  a 
certainty  that  no  concealed  source  of  injury 
lurks  within  them. 

It  may,  perhaps,  be  feared  that  this  process 
must  fail  to  clean  out  the  connection  between 
the  chambers  and  the  nipples,  and  that  a 
miss-fire  may  possibly  be  the  result.  An  ex- 
perience of  many  years,  however,  shows  us 
that  there  is  no  danger  of  this,  even  if  the 
process  that  we  have  described  be  the  only 
operation  that  is  performed.  If,  however,  we 
occasionally  remove  the  nipples,  we  have  full 
access  to  the  channel  leading  to  the  chambers,  and  can 
remove  all  dirt  most  thoroughly.  We  may  also  mention 
that  the  lower  end  of  the  wiping-rod  should  be  somewhat 
the  form  of  the  chambers,  which  may  be  cleaned  by  a 
single  thickness  of  rag,  forced  in  and  turned  round  a  few 
times  in  them.  We  therefore  conclude  from  experience 
that  this  process  is  quite  as  good  as  that  described  by 
Frank  Forrester  ;  and  as  it  does  not  demand  more  than 


Hickory 
1m&"   ° 


54  SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING. 

half  the  labor,  and  can  be  performed  anywhere — in  a  hotel, 
boarding-house,  or  elsewhere — without  making  a  fuss,  we 
give  it  a  most  decided  preference. 

The  kind  of  oil  preferred  by  us  is  good  sperm.  It  does 
not  take  more  than  one  or  two  teaspoonfuls  to  clean  a  gun 
very  thoroughly,  so  that  the  expense  is  no  objection.  The 
best  oil  for  cleaning,  however,  is  kerosene ;  and  if  it  were 
not  for  its  abominable  odor,  and  the  fact  that  it  becomes 
converted,  after  exposure  to  the  air,  to  a  tough,  clammy, 
resinous  substance,  we  would  use  it  altogether.  When, 
however,  we  find  our  guns  very  badly  encrusted,  we  always 
use  a  little  kerosene,  which  removes  anything  of  that  kind 
instantly.  In  such  cases,  after  wiping  the  gun  as  thor- 
oughly as  possible  with  a  dry  rag,  we  oil  it  with  sperm, 
and  again  rub  it  dry. 

A  leaded  barrel  we  have  never  seen.  We  have  often 
been  shown  barrels  which  were  said  to  be  leaded,  but  the 
encrusting  material  was  not  lead.  Having  long  suspected 
this,  we  determined  to  test  it ;  and  therefore  we  collected 
what  some  would  have  called  " leading, "scraped  from  our 
own  gun,  and  samples  of  the  same  thing  from  the  guns 
of  half  a  dozen  of  our  friends,  who  were  famous  for  the 
care  with  which  they  removed  all  traces  of  leading  with  the 
scratch-brush.  In  these  samples  we  could  detect  no  lead 
ourselves ;  but  lest  we  might  be  mistaken,  we  submitted 
the  so-called  leading  to  a  friend  who  is  a  well-known 
chemist,  and  who  analyzed  it  carefully.  The  result  was 
that  it  proved  to  be  mere  hardened  residuum  from  the 
powder.  Leaded  barrels  may  exist,  but  we  have  never 
seen  them,  and  feel  satisfied  that  what  is  usuafly  called 
4 'leading,"  in  good  smooth  barrels,  is  not  leading  at  all. 
We  therefore  make  no  provision  for  the  removal  of  lead, 
and  greatly  prefer  kerosene  to  the  scratch-brush. 


SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING.  55 

The  nipple-seats,  the  groove  of  the  ribs,  the  corners 
about  the  thimbles,  and  all  other  nooks  and  crannies  that 
might  harbor  dirt,  should  then  be  carefully  cleaned ;  and 
for  this  purpose  there  is  nothing  equal  to  a  stiff  brush. 
For  most  parts,  a  tooth-brush  answers  very  well,  but  the 
bristles  are  hardly  long  enough  for  cleaning  the  deep  re- 
cesses around  the  nipples.  -  We  therefore  use  a  jeweller's 
plate-brush,  which  is  thickly  set  with  long  bristles, — just 
the  thing  for  the  purpose.  The  whole  barrel  should  be 
well  oiled,  and  then  wiped  perfectly  dry,  as  nothing  is 
more  disagreeable  than  a  greasy  gun.  The  same  remark 
applies  to  the  ramrod.  The  stock,  if  varnished,  should  be 
rubbed  hard  with  an  oiled  rag;  and  where  the  wood  is 
finished  in  oil,  instead  of  being  varnished,  it  is  well  to  rub 
it  occasionally  with  a  rag  moistened  with  furniture-oil, — 
which  is,  however,  nothing  but  linseed-oil  colored.  This 
should  never  be  done,  however,  when  the  gun  is  to  be 
used  again  within  a  few  days,  as  the  odor  of  the  oil  is  any- 
thing but  agreeable.  But  if  the  stock  can  be  exposed  to 
the  air  for  a  short  time,  the  odor  disappears,  and  the  look 
of  the  stock  is  greatly  improved. 

The  locks  seldom  require  to  be  removed  from  the  gun, 
and  then  only  after  having  been  exposed  to  rain,  mist, 
or  snow.  The  outside  should  be  carefully  oiled,  and  the 
hammers  thoroughly  cleaned,  especially  on  the  striking 
faces.  In  removing  the  locks,  great  care  must  be  taken 
not  to  injure  the  wood-work  into  which  they  are  fitted. 
No  screw-drivers,  chisels,  or  other  prying  tools,  should 
ever  be  inserted  between  the  lock  and  the  wood  for  the 
purpose  of  lifting  out  the  former ;  but,  having  drawn  the 
screw  or  screws  which  hold  the  lock  in  place,  tap  the  in- 
side of  the  hammer  very  gently  with  a  piece  of  wood,  and 
the  lock  will  come  out  without  any  trouble.  By  alternately 


56  SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING. 

oiling  and  wiping  every  accessible  part  of  the  lock,  both 
when  the  hammer  is  up  and  when  it  is  down,  the  lock 
may  be  very  thoroughly  cleaned  and  oiled  without  being 
taken  apart.  When  it  requires  taking  apart,  it  should  be 
sent  to  the  gunsmith,  unless  the  owner  has  considerable 
mechanical  ability.  More  locks  are  spoiled  by  being  tam- 
pered with  by  inexperienced  persons  than  by  any  other 
cause. 

Thorough  cleaning  is  not  only  necessary  for  the  pre- 
servation of  a  gun,  but  is  essential  to  its  good  shooting. 
Smooth,  clean  barrels,  and  free-working  locks  are  great 
aids  in  quick  shooting  and  hard  hitting. 

HOW   TO   CARRY   AND   HANDLE   THE   GUN. 

All  who  use  a  gun  ought  to  take  great  pains  in  accus- 
toming themselves  to  carry  it  in  such  a  way  that  it  will 
not  only  be  perfectly  safe,  but  ready  at  an  instant's  warning 
to  do  effective  service. 

The  proper  position  of  the  hammers — whether  at  full- 
cock  or  half-cock — is  a  question  which  has  called  forth, 
much  discussion.  All  are,  of  course,  agreed  that  a  gun 
should  never  be  carried  with  the  hammers  down  on  the 
caps ;  for,  when  in  this  condition,  the  catching  of  a  twig 
or  a  blow  arising  from  a  fall,  would  infallibly  cause  an 
explosion.  And  as  the  hammers  are  not  protected  like 
the  triggers,  there  is  great  liability  of  their  being  caught 
and  drawn  backwards.  When  this  accident  occurs  to 
hammers  that  are  resting  on  the  caps,  there  is  every  chance 
that  the  hammers  will  not  be  drawn  back  far  enough  to  be 
caught  by  the  half-bent  notch ;  and,  in  that  case,  they  fall 
again  on  the  caps,  which  are  sure  to  explode. 

Some  very  excellent  and  careful  shots  advocate  the  carry- 


SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING.  57 

ing  of  the  gun  at  half-cock;  and,  so  far  as  mere  carrying 
is  concerned,  the  safety  is  certainly  greatest  in  this  con- 
dition. Such  shooters  always  bring  back  the  hammers  to 
full-cock  during  the  act  of  raising  the  gun  to  the  shoulder, 
and  we  have  known  some  very  quick  shots  who  invariably 
pursued  this  plan ;  but  we  doubt  much  if  a  beginner  could 
ever  make  snap-shots  in  this  way.  It  certainly  requires 
considerable  practice,  especially  with  the  second  barrel, 
and  particularly  if  the  second  barrel  be  the  left-hand  one. 
If,  however,  the  sportsman  have  long  fingers  and  steady 
nerves,  he  can  not  do  better  than  carry  his  gun  in  this  way. 
Dr.  Lewis  objects  to  this  method  of  carrying  the  gun,  on 
the  ground  that  a  nervous  man  may  allow  the  hammer  to 
slip  from  his  fingers  before  the  tumbler  has  reached  the 
full-cock  notch ;  and,  in  that  case,  he  claims  that  an  ex- 
plosion would  ensue.  Surely  not.  The  hammer  would 
merely  fall  back  to  half-cock,  and  stop  there. 

On  the  whole,  we  think  that,  except  in  dense  covert 
shooting,  where  snap-shots  are  the  rule,  the  hammers  are 
best  carried  at  half-cock. 

So  far  as  the  mere  carrying  of  a  loaded  gun  is  concerned, 
the  great  point  to  be  observed  is  to  see  that  it  never,  even 
for  a  single  instant,  points  in  the  direction  of  any  living 
being.  Neither  should  a  muzzle-loader  ever  be  carried 
with  the  muzzle  down.  Unless  the  wads  are  very  tight,  the 
charge  is  apt  to  shake  loose. 

In  getting  into  a  waggon,  always  take  off  the  caps.  If 
the  tin-lined  cap  be  used,  none  of  the  fulminating  powder 
can  adhere  to  the  nipples,  and  the  hammers  may  be  safely 
let  down  on  the  cones.  If,  however,  the  caps  be  of  the 
thin  G.D.  kind,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  take  them  off 
without  leaving  some  of  the  fulminate  behind ;  and  we 
have  frequently  fired  off  a  charge,  for  experiment,  by  means 


58  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

oi  such  residuum.  No  sportsman,  however,  would  use  such 
trash,  and  therefore  we  need  not  dwell  upon  this  point. 

On  entering  a  house,  always  take  off  the  caps.  Frank 
Forrester  says  leave  them  on,  because  to  take  them  off  is 
to  represent  the  gun  as  unloaded;  and  some  "unhanged 
idiot "  may  pick  it  up,  put  on  caps,  and  snap  it  at  the  head 
of  a  woman  or  child,  for  the  purpose  of  frightening  them. 
We  acknowledge  the  risk  ;  though,  if  the  gun  were  ours, 
we  suspect  that  the  risk  to  the  brute  who  would  intention- 
ally point  a  gun  at  another,  would  be  almost  as  great  as 
that  incurred  by  his  victim.  If  able,  we  would  certainly 
treat  him  to  a  severe  dose  from  our  dog-whip.  But  we 
think  that  the  risk  that  some  child  will  play  with  the  gun, 
and  discharge  it  accidentally,  is  greater  still.  The  safest 
plan  is  to  discharge  the  gun  or  withdraw  the  charges.  All 
these  difficulties  are,  however,  avoided  by  the  use  of  the 
breech-loader,  from  which  the  cartridges  can  be  extracted 
in  an  instant. 

Probably  the  most  dangerous  operation  connected  with 
the  ordinary  use  of  a  gun,  is  in  letting  down  the  hammers 
from  full  to  half  cock.  We  are  so  apt  to  pull  the  wrong 
trigger,  and  consequently  to  discharge  one  of  the  barrels, 
that  the  utmost  caution  ought  to  be  observed.  By  holding 
the  gun  with  the  muzzle  pointing  directly  upward,  all 
danger  is  avoided,  for  if  the  gun  does  go  off  it  can  do  no 
harm. 

In  crossing  fences,  the  utmost  care  must  be  exercised. 
It  does  not  always  answer  to  take  off  the  caps  or  draw  the 
cartridges,  as  it  frequently  happens  that  a  bird  will  get  up 
the  instant  we  are  on  the  other  side.  The  hammers  should 
always  be  at  half-cock,  and  the  muzzle  so  kept  that  it  shall 
not  point  either  in  the  direction  of  yourself  or  of  any  one 
else. 


SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING.  59 

HOW    TO    LEARN    TO    SHOOT. 

Shooting  is  not  only  an  art,  but  a  science.  It  is  of  no 
use  to  be  able  to  throw  a  charge  of  shot  just  where  we  wish 
it  to  go,  if  we  do  not  know  precisely  the  proper  place  to 
send  it.  Neither  will  it  do  us  any  good  to  know  where 
the  shot  ought  to  go,  if  we  can  not  send  it  there.  Much 
both  of  the  science,  and  of  that  which  relates  more  imme- 
diately to  the  art,  may  be  learned  in  the  house  and  from 
books ;  but  perfection  in  the  art  can  only  be  acquired  by 
practice  in  the  field.  And  it  is  curious  to  observe  the 
strange  idqas  which  men  have  in  regard  to  this  point.  It 
takes  a  boy  months  to  learn  to  shove  the  jack-plane,  to 
forge  a  piece  of  iron,  or  to  master  any  of  the  mechanical 
arts.  When  the  young  draughtsman  first  takes  hold  of  his 
tools,  his  very  awkwardness  in  handling  them  prevents 
him  from  doing  good  work ;  and  it  is  only  after  his  hands 
have  become  used  to  them  that  he  can  make  a  fair  drawing. 
But  a  man  who  has  never  before  in  his  life  handled  a  gun, 
takes  up  a  double-barrel,  and  expects  to  be  able  to  kill 
right  and  left  with  it,  on  the  very  first  trial.  Those  who 
entertain  such  expectations  will  surely  be  disappointed. 

The  first  lesson  consists  in  learning  how  to  handle  the 
gun,  and  this  is  best  learned  in  the  house.  Take  up  the 
unloaded  piece,  the  hammers  being  down  on  the  nipples, 
and  practice  throwing  it  to  your  shoulder  for.  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  twice  each  day,  and  you  will  soon  learn  to  handle 
it  with  freedom,  and,  in  a  measure,  to  point  it  where  you 
will.  Bring  it  up  so  as  to  point  it  at  objects  in  front,  on 
the  right,  to  the  left,  and  high  up ;  and  when  your  muscles 
have  become  so  used  to  the  piece  that  it  seems  to  come 
of  itself  to  the  mark,  it  is  time  to  pass  to  the  next  step. 

The  second  lesson  consists  in  bringing  the  gun  to  the 


60  SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING. 

shoulder,  and  discharging  it  at  the  instant  the  sight  L 
thrown  upon  the  object  that  we  desire  to  strike.  This 
lesson  is  the  most  difficult  of  all,  and  nothing  but  steady 
practice  will  enable  us  to  acquire  it.  Various  directions 
have  been  given  for  mastering  this  stage  of  instruction,  such 
as  snapping  caps  at  a  candle  in  an  otherwise  dark  room, 
practising  at  a  card,  etc.  The  objection  to  all  these  is 
that  the  aim  being  constantly  taken  at  the  same  stationary 
object,  only  half  the  art  is  taught.  Our  method  is  as 
follows : — 

Procure  a  pair  of  those  rubber  caps  that  are  used  for  the 
ends  of  pencils ;  cut  them  so  that  the  tube  is  just  the  length 
of  the  nipple,  slit  the  tubular  part  up,  and  tie  them  on  the 
nipples  with  small  tough  twine.  Unless  the  rubber  is  slit, 
it  will  be  difficult  to  tie  it  on  securely.  Your  nipples  and 
hammer-faces  are  now  secured  against  injury,  and  you  may 
snap  away  as  much  as  you  please.  Caps  do  little  good. 
They  are  not  much  protection  to  the  nipples,  they  soil  the 
gun,  and  the  sound  does  not  tend  to  harden  the  nerves  of 
the  shooter;  so  we  would  never  advise  our  readers  to  snap 
caps  at  any  mark.  With  the  gun  prepared  as  we  have 
described,  the  learner  should  now  practice  throwing  up 
his  gun,  bringing  it  to  bear  on  the  object,  and  drawing  the 
trigger  the  instant  the  sight  is  fair.  Never  try  to  better  your 
aim.  By  so  doing  you  will  acquire  the  habit  of  seeking 
after  the  object  over  the  muzzle  of  the  gun,  and  you  will 
become  nervous,  undecided,  and  what  is  called  a  poking 
shot.  If  you  find  that  the  gun  does  not  fully  cover  the 
object,  never  mind.  Pull  away.  What  you  are  now  trying 
to  do  is  to  establish  a  sympathy  between  the  eye,  the  hand, 
and  the  finger;  and  if  you  allow  yourself  to  destroy  this 
sympathy  by  over-riding  it  for  even  a  few  times,  you  will 
undo  all  that  you  have  done.  Therefore,  draw  the  trigger 


SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING.  61 

at  any  rate;  and,  instead  of  trying  to  improve  the  aim, 
note  your  error  in  aiming,  and  endeavor  to  do  better  next 
time.  Do  not  act  as  if  you  had  only  one  chance,  and 
never  expected  to  fire  another  shot.  It  is  easy  for  the 
pupil  to  tell  when  he  took  a  good  aim  and  when  he  made 
a  poor  one ;  and  when  he  is  conscious  that  he  can  throw 
the  end  of  the  gun  upon  any  object — right  or  left,  up  or 
down,  and  draw  the  trigger  as  soon  as  he  has  caught  the 
sight,  it  is  time  for  him  to  undertake  the  third  lesson, 
which  consists  of  actual  shooting  at  inanimate  objects. 
For  this  purpose,  the  gun  should  be  loaded  with  say  one 
dram  of  powder  and  half  an  ounce  of  very  small  shot. 
This  will  give  no  recoil ;  the  explosion  will  not  create  any 
nervous  excitement,  and  yet  such  a  charge  will  do  all  that 
is  required  of  it.  Having  chosen  a  place  to  stand,  fix  up 
a  dozen  cards  or  old  letter-envelopes  in  different  positions 
all  round — some  high,  some  low,  some  to  right  and  some 
to  left,  and  at  a  distance  of  fifteen  to  twenty  paces.  If  there 
are  trees  where  you  are  shooting,  tie  an  envelope  to  one 
end  of  a  string  and  a  stone  to  the  other ;  throw  the  stone 
into  the  branches  of  the  tree,  and  the  string  will  probably 
get  entangled  in  the  branches,  and  the  envelope  will  hang 
down  and  present  a  fair  shot.  Having  prepared  a  dozen 
or  twenty  envelopes,  all  numbered,  take  your  position  in 
the  centre ;  load  your  gun,  and  select  one  of  the  cards  or 
envelopes  in  your  mind,  but  without  looking  at  it.  Then 
direct  your  sight  to  it  instantly,  and  at  the  same  time  raise 
your  piece  and  fire.  Do  the  same  by  another,  and  proceed 
to  reload.  Keep  a  record  of  the  shots  by  the  number  of 
the  envelopes.  If  No.  i  was  seen  fairly  over  the  barrels 
at  the  time  of  drawing  the  trigger,  mark  it  Hit;  if  you  feel 
that  you  shot  wide,  mark  it  Missed.  You  can  verify  these 
notes  by  inspection  after  you  have  shot  at  all  the  cards. 


62  SHOOTING    ON  THE   WING, 

In  this  way  you  will  learn  to  tell  pretty  certainly  whether 
you  have  struck  your  bird  or  not,  when  you  come  to  shoot 
at  game. 

This  kind  of  practice  should  be  kept  up  until  you  can 
bring  your  gun  to  the  shoulder,  throw  it  on  the  mark,  and 
discharge  it  so  as  to  hit  nineteen  times  out  of  twenty. 
Remember  that  the  great  point  is  to  establish  perfect  sym- 
pathy between  the  eye  and  hand ;  and  to  do  this  you  must 
observe  strictly  the  rules  laid  down  in  lesson  two. 
'  An  animated  discussion  has  been  carried  on  for  years 
in  regard  to  the  propriety  of  shutting  one  eye  or  keeping 
both  open.  Unquestionably  the  plan  of  keeping  both 
eyes  open  is  the  best,  and  leads  most  quickly  to  efficiency, 
though  there  are  some  very  excellent  shots  who  invaria- 
bly close  one  eye.  The  following  extract  from  Watts's 
" Remarks  on  Shooting"  are  pointed  and  accurate: — 

"  Follow  it  not  along  the  sky, 
To  take  a  formal  aim,  but  try 
To  draw  the  trigger  just  as  you 
At  your  gun's  end  the  object  view. 
Nine  times  in  ten  the  gun  is  right 
At  first,  obeying  well  the  sight  ; 
But  if  you  look,  and  look  again, 
And  doubt  and  waver,  it  is  plain 
Your  hand  has  every  chance  to  be 
Betrayed  by  such  uncertainty. 
'Proceed  then,  as  I  just  have  taught, 
The  pleasing  knack  will  soon  be  caught  5 
But  let  me  re-advise,  for  this 
Prevents,  Tm  certain,  many  a  miss, 
Close  neither  eye\  some  good  shots  say 
Shut  up  your  left :  that's  not  my  way  $ 
But  still  a  man  may  take  his  oath, 
He'd  better  shut  one  eye  than  both* 


SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING.  63 

Fve  heard  of  men  (it  may  amaze) 
Who  never  care  their  guns  to  raise, 
But  fire  them  from  the  hip  as  true 
As  we  can  from  the  shoulder  do; 
I  mention  this  that  you  may  see 
How  motion  doth  with  sight  agree: 
If  you're  collected,  I  believe 
Your  eye  will  ne'er  your  hand  deceive." 

The  truth  is  that  the  great  secret  of  success  lies  in  this 
perfect  sympathy  between  the  eye  and  the  hand.  The 
archer  does  not  shut  one  eye  and  look  along  the  arrow 
when  he  wishes  to  strike  a  mark,  and  yet  many  savage 
nations  are  so  expert  with  the  bow  that  they  kill  small 
animals  when  running,  and  even  bring  down  little  birds 
on  the  wing  with  this  weapon.  Vaillant  informs  us  that 
the  boors  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
when  following  the  plow,  are  frequently  accompanied  by 
numbers  of  small  birds  that  pick  up  the  worms  and  grubs 
thus  exposed  to  view,  and  so  dexterous  are  these  men  with 
their  long  whips,  that  any  of  the  little  fluttering  objects  to 
which  their  attention  is  directed,  will  be  struck  by  them 
with  the  greatest  nicety  possible.  In  doing  this,  they  never 
shut  one  eye.  Neither  does  the  carpenter  when  he  drives 
a  nail,  or  the  blacksmith  as  he  swings  the  ponderous 
hammer.  The  fly-fisher  when  he  casts  his  fly  lightly  to 
the  very  spot  where  the  trout  lies,  does  it  with  both  eyes 
open ;  and  those  who,  at  base-ball,  try  to  catch  or  strike 
a  ball,  never  shut  one  eye.  All  these  instances  are  cases 
of  sympathy  between  eye,  hand,  and  finger.  That  this 
may  exist  in  very  great  perfection  when  only  one  eye  is 
used  is  undoubtedly  true,  but  those  who  have  to  learn 
from  the  beginning  had  better  learn  with  both  eyes 
open. 


64  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

One  of  the  great  points  is  to  learn  to  shoot  rapidly,  that 
is,  to  allow  as  little  time  as  possible  to  elapse  between  the 
formation  of  the  resolution  to  fire  and  the  act  of  firing. 
He  who  raises  his  gun  and  dawdles  with  it,  is  a  poking 
shot ;  he  who  always  fires  on  the  first  impulse  is  a  snap- 
shot; but  he  who  with  perfect  coolness  makes  all  his  cal- 
culations rapidly,  and  then  with  lightning-like  dexterity 
discharges  his  piece,  is  a  quick  shot  and  a  good  sportsman. 
"I  am  very  desirous  of  making  clear  the  distinction  be- 
tween a  snap-shot  and  the  quick  and  dashing  one  that  I 
wish  my  pupil  to  become.  I  have  seen  some  men  knock 
down  their  birds  the  moment  they  topped  the  stubble ; 
and,  heedless  of  the  nearness,  they  thus  cut  their  game 
into  ribbons.  This  is  called  *  snap-shooting/ — a  system 
I  do  not  admire  or  recommend.  If  you  make  a  practice 
of  pulling  your  trigger  immediately  the  game  presents 
itself  to  view,  you  will  not  be  able  to  give  sufficient  time 
to  a  close  shot ;  and  I  prefer  seeing  a  bird  fly  away,  to  its 
being  mangled.  There  is  a  want  of  coolness  and  style  in 
'  snap-shooting, '  too,  which  makes  a  sportsman,  however 
proficient  in  the  knack,  look  many  inches  from  the  crease 
of  perfection  in  his  art. 

"If  a  bird  rise  at  a  long  distance — say  fifty  yards — a 
snap-shot  will  suit  admirably.  The  bird  must  be  hit 
directly  it  is  on  the  wing,  or  the  attempt  may  as  well  not 
be  made.  To  say,  therefore,  that  a  snap-shot  is  never  to 
be  made,  would  be  wide  of  my  meaning ;  and,  to  be  able 
to  make  one  is  a  great  accomplishment.  But  what  I  wish 
to  inculcate  is  the  rule, — not  the  exception.  In  these  long 
ranges,  a  slow  shot  can  do  nothing.  Very  likely,  he  will 
bring  his  gun  to  his  shoulder,  shut  his  left  eye,  and  get 
his  muzzle  on  a  level  with  the  bird ;  but,  by  the  time  that 
he  has  done  so,  he  discovers  that  the  bird  is  too  far  off, 


SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING  65 

and  that  it  is  useless  to  pull  the  trigger.  I  have  frequently 
seen  this  farce  performed  by  men  who  would  back  them- 
selves to  kill  their  twenty  consecutive  birds.  No  wonder, 
when  they  would  permit  twice  as  many,  and  perhaps  more, 
to  go  without  firing  a  single  barrel  at  them, — three  fourths 
of  which  shots  a  legitimate  sportsman  would  have  taken 
as  a  matter  of  course. 

"The  great  difference  between  a  quick  shot  and  a  snap 
shot  is,  that  the  former  discriminates  between  long  and 
near  shots, — taking  his  level  and  firing  in  accordance  with 
the  distance  at  which  the  game  springs,  while  the  latter 
exercises  no  such  discrimination.  Far  or  near,  the  instant 
the  bird  is  seen,  or  the  rabbit  pops  his  ears  out  of  the 
gorse,  the  snap-shooter  fires;  and  if  he  were  to  hesitate 
for  a  moment,  when  his  gun  is  at  his  shoulder,  he  would 
miss/' — Mill. 

While  waiting  for  a  bird  to  get  off  to  a  reasonable  dis- 
tance, or  to  get  into  a  proper  position,  never  stand  with 
your  gun  to  your  shoulder  and  your  eye  looking  along  the 
sights.  Such  a  practice  is  not  only  clumsy  and  inelegant, 
but  it  tends  to  make  the  young  sportsman  a  poking  shot. 
When  looking  for  game,  keep  your  wits  about  you,  and 
always  be  prepared  for  any  emergency.  If  a  bird  should 
spring  at  your  feet,  try  to  control  your  nerves ;  keep  your 
eye  fixed  on  him,  and  hold  your  gun  firmly  but  easily  in 
the  hands,  the  barrels  horizontal,  the  left  hand  just  in  front 
of  the  trigger-guard,  and  the  right  hand  on  the  grip,  as  it 
is  called,  which  is  that  part  of  the  stock  that  lies  imme- 
diately behind  the  lock.  The, fingers  should  be  in  such  a 
position  that  the  hammers  and  triggers  are  within  easy 
control,  and  the  gun  should  be  held  just  below  the  point 
which  the  elbows  occupy  when  the  arms  hang  down. 
Standing  in  this  position,  watch  your  bird  until  distance 


66  SHOOTING    ON  THE   WING. 

or  some  peculiarity  of  position,  such  as  his  being  about  to 
fly  behind  an  obstruction,  shows  you  that  it  is  time  to  fire. 
Then  raise  your  gun  quickly  but  deliberately,  and  fire. 
If  you  have  practised  well  in  the  preceding  lessons,  and 
pay  sufficient  attention  to  the  rules  which  we  are  about  to 
lay  down  in  regard  to  shooting  at  objects  in  motion,  your 
bird  will,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  come  to  bag.  In  all  this 
there  are  two  things  which  it  will  be  well  for  you  to  re- 
member. In  the  first  place,  with  such  charges  as  we  have 
described,  and  with  ordinarily  good  guns,  thirty  yards  may 
be  considered  the  most  fatal  distance  at  which  we  can  fire. 
Most  good  shots  will  kill  a  bird  with  greater  certainty  at 
this  distance  than  at  any  other.  Secondly,  remember  that 
the  first  movement  of  all  land  birds  is  exceedingly  rapid. 
It  is  not  flight,  for  the  wings  have  not  yet  had  time  to  come 
into  full  action :  it  is  zjump,  aided  slightly  by  the  wings. 
When  you  wish  to  make  a  snap-shot  at  long  distances,  the 
best  time  to  do  it  is  just  when  the  bird  has  reached  the 
highest  point  of  his  upward  jump,  and  before  he  has  had 
time  to  get  under  way  on  his  horizontal  flight.  A  little 
practice  and  observation  in  the  field  will  enable  you  to 
take  full  advantage  of  this. 

The  fourth  lesson  brings  us  to  the  striking  of  objects  in 
motion ;  and  if  the  previous  lessons  have  been  faithfully 
practised,  this  is  by  no  means  the  most  difficult  part  of  the 
shooter's  ait.  To  find  objects  in  motion  to  shoot  at,  how- 
ever, is  not  so  easy.  If  we  have  a  companion  or  a  teacher, 
very  good  practice  may  be  obtained  by  shooting  at  stones, 
apples,  turnips,  or  potatoes,  thrown  into  the  air.  When 
there  is  a  slight  breeze,  we  may  get  good  shots  at  pieces 
of  paper,  five  or  six  inches  square,  allowed  to  float  off  on 
the  wind.  But  the  best  practice  of  all  may  be  had  at  the 
mechanical  pigeon.  This  consists  of  a  piece  of  light  sheet 


SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING*  67 

iron,  shaped  like  the  propeller  of  a  vessel,  which  is  caused 
to  spin  rapidly  by  means  of  a  cord  and  spool.  As  soon  as 
the  spinning  motion  attains  a  certain  velocity,  the  pigeon 
glides  off,  rises  into  the  air,  and  shoots  away  with  con- 
siderable speed,  and  for  some  distance.  When  there  is  a  - 
strong  wind,  the  motions  of  this  object  are  very  irregular 
and  sharp ;  and,  consequently,  to  hit  it  tries  the  skill  of 
even  good  shots.  Hitherto,  these  mechanical  pigeons 
have  been  imported  from  England  at  high  prices,  but  we 
understand  that  preparations  have  now  been  made  to 
manufacture  in  this  country  and  sell  them  fora  very  mode- 
rate sum.  The  art  of  throwing  off  the  pigeon  is  so  easily 
learned  by  those  who  possess  the  article,  that  no  descrip- 
tion is  necessary.  Two  forms  are  made.  In  one  the 
spinning  apparatus  is  held  in  the;  hand,  and  the  pigeon 
is  thrown  in  any  direction,  by  inclining  the  handle  to  the 
desired  point.  The  other  and  better  form  is  furnished 
with  an  iron  stake,  which  is  driven  into  the  ground,  and 
the  spinning  portion  is  inclined  by  means  of  a  very  simple 
but  ingenious  universal  joint.  The  instrument  may  be  set 
at  eighteen  or  twenty-one  yards,  and  the  spool  caused  to 
revolve  by  means  of  a  long  line.  If  placed  about  ten 
yards  off,  the  shooter  may  pull  the  cord  himself,  and  ob- 
tain most  excellent  practice.  But  in  most  cases  it  is  easy 
to  get  a  boy  to  go  along  and  pull  the  string,  for  the  sake 
of  seeing  the  pigeon  go  up  and  get  shot.  The  shot-marks 
are  very  easily  detected  on  the  sheet-iron, — which  should, 
however,  be  varnished  or  oiled  over  when  the  day's  sport 
is  done.  In  this  way,  the  fliers — of  which  from  fifty  to 
one  hundred  should  be  provided — will  be  in  readiness  by 
the  time  they  are  again  wanted. 

There  is  another  kind  of  mechanical  bird  imported,  and 
called  the  gyro-pigeon,  which  may  be  set  up  at  a  distance. 


68  SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING. 

It  is  more  expensive.  The  flier  is  caused  to  rotate  by 
means  of  a  spring,  and  the  flight  is  not  so  strong. 

Other  than  these  we  know  of  no  inanimate  objects  that 
will  afford  practice ;  so  that,  after  having  become  tolerably 
perfect  in  the  lessons  we  have  described,  we  must  take 
to  the  field,  and  practise  either  at  game  or  small  birds. 
Fortunately  for  the  sportsman,  and  unfortunately  for  the 
farmer,  some  men  of  more  money  than,  brains  have  im- 
ported the  English  sparrow  into  this  country.  No  bird 
affords  finer  practice  just  before  the  shooting  season  opens  ; 
and  in  a  few  years  they  will  swarm  around  every  grain- 
field,  so  that  the  farmer  will  implore  the  young  sportsman 
to  thin  their  numbers  with  the  shot-gun.  They  may  some- 
times be  killed  in  large  numbers  while  sitting  on  the  stacks 
of  grain ;  but  as  a  general  thing  they  do  not  ' ( pack  "  until 
late  in  the  fall,  so  that  they  must  be  taken  singly.  Shoot 
them  on  the  wing,  right  and  left;  use  three  quarters  of  an 
ounce  of  No.  10  shot  and  a  dram  and  three  quarters — or, 
for  wide-gauge  guns,  half  a  dram  more — of  powder.  With 
this  charge,  you  can  kill  every  time  at  twenty  yards,  and 
you  need  never  take  a  shot  above  ten  paces,  as  they  sit 
very  close.  Practise  hard  on  them,  as  you  will  benefit  the 
farmer  and  wonderfully  improve  your  own  shooting. 

In  shooting  at  objects  in  motion,  whether  animate  or 
inanimate,  it  is  necessary  to  shoot  in  front  of  the  object, 
for  two  reasons.  In  the  first  place,  a  perceptible  time 
elapses  between  the  impulse  to  pull  the  trigger  and  the 
expulsion  of  the  charge;  and,  in  the  second,  the  shot  takes 
some  time  to  travel  from  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  to  its  des- 
tination. At  a  rising  stone,  therefore,  we  must  shoot  from 
six  inches  to  a  foot  above  it ;  when  falling,  the  same  dis- 
tance below  it.  When  the  object  is  crossing  in  front  of  us, 
we  must  shoot  on  the  line  of  its  motion,  and  at  least  one 


SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING.  69 

to  three  feet  ahead,  according  to  its  velocity.  Never  fire  at 
stones,  swallows,  etc.,  when  they  are  poised  and  stationary 
in  the  air.  You  might  as  well  shoot  at  a  fence-post.  For 
inanimate  objects  and  birds  of  no  great  swiftness,  these 
rules  are  all  that  are  necessary ;  but  for  our  more  active 
game-birds,  more  definite  directions  are  needed,  and  will 
be  given  in  the  next  section. 

It  may  be  safely  asserted  that  almost  all  young  shots 
shoot  behind  and  below  their  birds,  and  this  not  because 
they  do  not  know  how  the  gun  ought  to  be  aimed,  but  be- 
cause they  fail  to  embody  this  knowledge  in  their  practice. 
This  generally  arises  from  the  following  cause :  the  young 
sportsman  looks  at  his  bird,  makes  as  he  supposes  the 
proper  allowance,  and  fires.  But  he  forgets  that  from  the 
time  that  he  brings  the  gun  to  bear  on  the  proper  spot 
until  the  time  when  his  finger  obeys  the  impulse  to  fire, 
there  is  an  interval  almost  as  great  as  that  which,  he  ought 
to  allow  for  the  flight  of  the  bird.*  There  are  two  ways 
of  getting  rid  of  this  error :  one  is,  to  find  out  by  experi- 
ment how  much  it  is,  and  make  a  constant  additional 
allowance  for  it;  the  other  is,  to  keep  the  muzzle  of  the 
gun  constantly  moving  in  the  same  direction  as  the  game, 
and  just  as  far  ahead  as  the  allowance  for  distance,  rapidity 
of  flight,  wind,  etc.,  requires.  The  latter  plan  we  consider 
altogether  the  best,  and  it  has  been  generally  recommended 
and  practised,  though  for  reasons  very  different  from  those 
which  cause  us  to  adopt  it.  Most  writers  on  shooting  tell 
us  that  the  shot,  after  leaving  the  gun,  partakes  of  the  side 
motion  which  we  give  to  the  barrels,  and,  instead  of  going 
to  a  point  in  the  line  of  the  aim,  it  goes  to  a  point  ahead 

*  This  interval  is  known  among  practical  astronomers  as  the  "personal  equa- 
tion," and  has  been  found  to  differ  considerably  in  different  individuals,  and  in  the 
same  individual  under  different  conditions  of  the  system. 


« 

70  SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING. 

of  it,  just  as  in  the  well-known  philosophical  experiment, 
where  a  body  acted  upon  by  two  forces  does  not  pursue 
either  of  them,  but  moves  along  the  diagonal  between 
them.  Unfortunately  this  law  finds  no  practical  application 
here,  for  the  simple  reason  that  the  side  velocity  which  we 
can  impart  to  the  barrels  of  the  gun  by  means  of  our  hands, 
is  so  small  that  it  can  not  affect  the  result  to  any  perceptible 
extent.  In  addition,  therefore,  to  the  effect  produced  by 
keeping  the  gun  in  motion,  we  must  make  all  the  other 
allowances,  which  are  more  fully  detailed  in  the  next 
section. 

Having  made  himself  familiar  with  the  principles  of  this 
subject,  practice  alone  can  confer  that  dexterity  which  will 
enable  the  young  sportsman  to  put  them  in  successful 
operation. 

FINISHING   TOUCHES. 

He  who  has  faithfully  followed  our  directions  thus  far, 
practising  under  each  lesson  until  he  can  do  what  is  re- 
quired without  giving  his  whole  attention  to  the  acts  to  be 
performed,  so  that  his  observing  powers  may  be  left  free 
to  watch  every  movement  that  is  going  on  around  him, 
will  find  no  difficulty  in  making  a  good  bag  whenever 
game  is  moderately  plenty.  Indeed,  with  the  aid  of  a  good 
dog  and  a  slight  knowledge  of  the  habits  of  the  animals 
of  which  he  goes  in  pursuit,  he  will  do  well  in  almost  any 
part  of  the  country.  Occasionally  he  may  miss  the  fairest 
shots — a  thing  which  occurs  to  the  oldest  and  most  expe- 
rienced sportsmen — and  frequently  he  will  find  chances 
that  are  so  difficult,  that,  to  kill  under  such  circumstances 
will  be  the  exception  and  not  the  rule.  It  is  to  enable  him 
to  make  sure  work  of  these  difficult  cases  that  we  give  the 
following  hints: — 


SHOOTING    ON  THE   WING.  71 

Hitherto  the  objects  of  the  learner's  markmanship  have 
been  such  that  adherence  to  very  general  rules  enabled  him 
to  strike  them.  Besides  this,  the  distances  have  been 
moderate,  and  pretty  accurately  known,  so  that  allowances 
on  this  score  were  either  unnecessary  or  very  easily  made. 
It  is  when  the  distances  at  which  the  objects  are  fired  at, 
and  the  rapidity  with  which  they  move,  vaiy  between  wide 
extremes,  that  it  will  require  all  the  judgment  and  skill  at 
the  command  of  the  sportsman  to  insure  success ;  and  this 
success  will  depend  greatly  upon  the  accuracy  of  that  in- 
stantaneous estimate  which  he  is  necessarily  obliged  to 
form  under  such  circumstances.  The  necessity  for  accu- 
rate knowledge,  not  only  of  the  powers  of  our  weapon  but 
of  the  rate  of  motion  and  character  of  the  game,  will  be 
easily  seen  from  the  following  considerations.  Let  us 
suppose  a  wild  duck  going  down  wind  at  ninety  miles  an 
hour,  as  they  frequently  do,  and  that  the  sportsman  fires 
at  it  from  a  distance  of  fifty  yards — a  very  ordinary  range, 
by  the  by.  At  this  distance  it  will  require  at  least  an  ounce 
and  a  half  of  No.  3  or  4  shot  to  do  efficient  execution  ; 
and,  if  the  gun  be  a  good  one,  the  charge  will  cover  evenly 
a  space  very  little  more  than  thirty  inches  in  diameter.  To 
insure  killing  the  bird,  it  must  be  found  at  a  distance  not 
greater  than  fifteen  inches  from  the  centre  of  the  charge, 
and  unless  it  be  within  a  radius  of  ten  inches,  it  is  by  no 
means  certain  that  the  game  will  be  bagged.  Let  us  then 
consider  the  estimates  that  are  required  to  insure  this  result, 
and  the  accuracy  with  which  they  must  be  made.  First, 
as  to  aim.  If  the  gun  be  thirty  inches  long,  a  variation 
of  half  an  inch  in  the  position  of  the  muzzle  will  bring  the 
bird  outside  of  the  charmed  circle,  and  he  will  escape. 
The  author  of  "On  the  Wing"  tells  us  that  a  variation  of 
one  or  two  inches  at  the  muzzle  of  the  gun  will  not  affect 


72  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

the  killing  character  of  the  shot*  At  twenty-five  yards  the 
least  of  these  distances  would  cause  a  miss,  unless  a  stray 
pellet  happened  to  strike  the  bird. 

Let  us  now  consider  the  allowance  to  be  made  for  the 
bird's  motion.  Flying  at  the  rate  of  ninety  miles  per  hour, 
the  bird  will  pass  over  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  feet 
every  second.  Now,  the  average  velocity  of  shot  from  a 
gun  is  probably  under  one  thousand  feet  per  second  during 
the  first  fifty  yards.  The  initial  velocity  of  a  rifle-bullet  is 
about  fourteen  hundred  feet  per  second ;  and  if  we  grant 
that  a  charge  of  shot  has  the  same  initial  velocity,  it  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  it  will  be  reduced  to  the  initial  velo- 
city of  a  pistol-bullet  before  it  has  gone  fifty  yards.  This, 
according  to  the  United  States  "Ordnance  Manual,"  is 
six  hundred  and  three  feet  per  second,  and  this  gives  an 
average  velocity  during  the  whole  distance  of  about  one 
thousand  feet  per  second.  That  the  shot  will  suffer  this 
rapid  reduction  in  its  velocity  no  one  will  doubt  who  has 
studied  carefully  the  effect  of  air  upon  projectiles  moving 
at  a  high  velocity.  Robins  estimates  the  resistance  of  the 
air  to  a  twenty-four  pound  shot  as  being  equal  to  a  steady 
pull  of  four  hundred  pounds  against  its  motion ;  and  he 
calculates  that  if  it  were  not  for  this  resistance,  such  a  shot 
would  attain  a  range  of  about  twenty-five  miles!  He  even 
cites  a  case  in  which,  if  it  were  not  for  the  resistance  of  the 
air,  the  ball  would  range  forty-seven  miles !  And  since 
this  resistance  increases  as  the  square  of  the  velocity,  giving 
a  four-fold  resistance  for  a  double  velocity,  and  twenty-five 
times  the  resistance  for  a  five-fold  velocity,  it  is  easy  to  see 
that  the  shot  will  suffer  the  greatest  reduction  of  speed 
during  the  early  part  of  its  flight.  This  is  especially  true 

*  And  this  although  he  tells  us  (p.  21)  that  the  space  covered  is  but  thirty  square 
inches,  which  would  give  a  circle  about  six  inches  in  diameter ! 


SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING.  73 

when  we  remember  that  the  shot,  as  it  leaves  the  muzzle, 
has  the  form  of  an  elongated  ball, — the  very  best  form  for  a 
projectile  to  escape  the  resistance  of  the  air.  But  as  soon 
as  it  has  gone  a  few  yards,  the  same  projectile  spreads  out 
so  as  to  cover  an  area  equal  to  that  of  a  twenty-four  pound 
cannon-ball ;  and  it  will  therefore  meet  with  the  same  re- 
sistance that  is  encountered  by  such  a  ball  moving  with 
equal  velocity,  while  it  has  not  one  three-hundredth  part 
of  the  weight  of  the  cannon-shot,  and  consequently  not 
more  than  one  three-hundredth  part  of  the  momentum  or 
power  to  overcome  this  resistance.  The  shot  would  there- 
fore require  rather  less  than  the  one  sixth  of  a  second  to 
reach  the  bird,  which,  during  this  time,  would  have  flown 
upwards  of  twenty  feet !  It  is  true  that  this  is  an  extreme 
case,  but  such  instances  have  occurred,  and  it  shows  us 
that  an  error  of  fifteen  per  cent  in  our  estimate  of  distance 
or  speed,  will  throw  the  shot  before  or  behind  the  bird. 
How  shall  the  young  sportsman  proceed,  so  that  he  may 
learn  to  make  these  estimates  accurately  and  unhesi- 
tatingly? 

First  of  all,  learn  the  power  of  your  gun,  and  the  way 
in  which  it  throws  its  shot.  Fire  it  with  standard  charges 
(as  described  in  the  chapter  on  loading)  at  various  dis- 
tances—  fifteen,  twenty,  thirty,  forty,  fifty,  sixty,  and  even 
seventy  yards ;  and  at  these  latter  distances  use  also  shot 
of  large  size — Nos.  2,  3,  or  4.  In  this  way  you  will  acquire 
an  accurate  knowledge  of  the  space  covered,  and  the  force, 
with  which  the  shot  is  driven.  Moreover,  all  shot  falls  as 
it  flies  from  the  gun.  If  the  flight  be  continued  for  a 
second,  it  will  fall  sixteen  feet,  by  the  action  of  gravity 
alone.  Most  guns  have  the  rib  so  elevated  that  the  gun 
shoots  upward,  and  compensates  for  this  deflection.  See 
if  your  gun  is  so  compensated.  To  this  end,  fire  several 


74  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

shots  with  the  most  careful  sighting — preferably  from  a 
firm  rest — and  see  whether  or  not  the  body  of  the  shot 
strikes  above  or  below  the  mark.  Then,  in  future  adjust 
your  aim  accordingly.  And,  by  the  way,  in  shooting  from 
a  rest,  see  that  the  gun  is  placed  upon  some  soft  substance, 
such  as  an  old  towel  or  handkerchief.  We  have  known  a 
fine  gun  to  be  badly  scratched  by  being  fired  from  a  rest 
in  careless  hands. 

The  next  step  is  to  learn  to  estimate  distances  accurately. 
All  crack  shots  are  good  judges  of  distance  and  speed. 
This  is  best  attained  by  practising  when  you  are  out  walk- 
ing. Throw  your  eye  forward  in  the  direction  in  which 
you  are  going ;  fix  upon  some  object  at  thirty  to  forty  yards 
off;  estimate  the  distance,  and  then  count  the  paces  to  it. 
You  will  find  that  the  average  length  of  a  pace  is  very 
nearly  regular ;  so  that  if  you  step  off  one  hundred  paces 
and  then  measure  this  distance  accurately,  you  will  come 
pretty  near  the  average  length  of  one  of  your  steps,  and 
can  thereafter  measure  off  thirty,  forty,  or  fifty  yards,  with 
great  accuracy,  by  merely  walking  over  the  ground. 

Another  important  point  is  to  learn  the  apparent  length 
of  one,  two,  ten,  or  twenty  feet,  when  viewed  from  various 
distances.  Mark  off  ten  feet  on  a  fence,  step  back  forty 
yards,  and  observe  the  apparent  length  of  the  ten  feet.  In 
this  way  you  gain  most  important  information ;  and  a  little 
practice  will  enable  you  to  measure  off  two  or  three  feet 
ahead  of  a  duck  with  great  accuracy. 

To  learn  to  estimate  the  velocity  of  a  bird  is  a  much 
more  difficult  matter,  for  the  simple  reason  that  we  have 
no  accurate  means  of  measuring  the  time  and  space  that 
go  to  make  up  this  velocity.  Watching  birds  flying  parallel 
with  a  railroad  train  moving  at  known  speed,  we  are  in- 
clined to  estimate  the  ordinary  flight  of  common  birds  at 


SHOOTING    ON  THE   WING.  75 

about  twenty  miles  per  hour.  Quail  and  grouse,  when 
flying  from  the  sportsman,  move  much  more  rapidly,— at 
least  forty  to  fifty  miles  per  hour,  and  frequently  sixty. 
But  all  these  birds  vary  greatly  in  the  velocity  with  which 
they  fly.  The  slow  sailing  flight  of  the  pigeon,  when  ex- 
amining a  field  for  a  good  feeding-place,  is  very  different 
from  that  of  the  same  bird  when  it  shoots  away  like  a 
rifle-bullet,  at  the  sound  of  the  gun.  t 

But  while  a  careful  study  of  all  these,  points  goes  to 
make  the  finished  performer,  let  not  the  young  shooter 
despair  because  he  can  not  always  kill  at  long  range,  or 
under  circumstances  of  peculiar  difficulty.  The  degree 
of  skill  which  may  be  attained  by  patience  and  practice  is 
wonderful ;  but  even  from  the  first,  he  who  has  intelligently 
studied  his  weapon,  and  carefully  practised  the  lessons  we 
have  given,  will  be  able  to  kill  game  respectably.  The 
practice  required  is  not  greater  than  that  frequently  given 
by  some  ambitious  little  girl  who  wishes  to  shine  in  playing 
an  ordinary  air  upon  the  piano ;  and  that  the  attainment 
of  skill  by  those  whose  physique  and  habits  adapt  them  to 
the  sports  of  the  field  is  something  to  be  desired,  none 
who  have  tried  them  will  doubt.  Some  of  our  most  earnest 
philosophers  and  poets  have  been  noted  for  their  fondness 
for  the  gun  and  rod ;  and  it  would  be  hard  to  tell  how 
much  of  that  vigor  and  earnestness  which  Davy  displayed 
in  his  great  researches,  was  derived  from  the  hours  spent 
in  the  pursuit  of  game,  or  how  much  of  the  inspiration 
which  fills  the  charming  poetry  and  romance  of  Scott,  we 
owe  to  the  same  source. 

USEFUL   HINTS. 

It  is  to  be  presumed,  as  a  matter  of  course,  that  every 
young  sportsman  desires  to  so  conduct  himself  when  in 


76  SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING. 

the  company  of  others,  that  the  general  good  feeling  and 
success  of  the  party  maybe  promoted.  Most  young  hands 
err,  rather  from  want  of  thought  and  from  excessive  eager- 
ness, than  from  wrong  intentions ;  and  therefore  the  fol- 
lowing hints,  by  an  old  English  sportsman,  may  not  be 
out  of  place  : — 

"When  you  are  shooting  in  company,  among  your  first 
resolutions  should  be,  not  from  any  temptation  to  endanger 
the  safety  of  your  companion ;  or  to  vex  and  annoy  him 
by  jealous,  unfair,  and  greedy  monopolizing  of  shots. 
Regarding  the  first  part  of  the  caution,  there  is  nothing 
more  unsportsmanlike;  and,  as  to  the  second,  there  is 
nothing  more  ungentlemanly  in  the  field. 

"If  you  are  doubling  a  hedgerow,  in  the  society  of  a 
friend,  whatever  may  be  the  inducement,  never  fire  through 
the  hedge.  You  may  feel  quite  certain,  at  the  moment 
of  pulling  the  trigger,  that  no  evil  result  can  happen, — as 
you  are  assured  that  your  companion  is  out  of  the  line  of 
the  charge.  Without  doubt  this  has  been  the  conviction 
of  many  who  have  had  sad  proof  of  their  mistake.  There- 
fore, on  no  account  whatever  should  there  be  the  semblance 
of  a  deviation  from  this  resolve.  It  is  impossible  to  impress 
this  too  strongly  on  the  minds  of  young  sportsmen.  Let 
them  treasure  the  admonition  as  priceless.  Shooting  across 
your  companion,  striving  to  'wipe  his  eye, 'and  taking 
every  shot  that  goes  as  fairly  for  him  as  for  yourself,  is 
conduct  essentially  opposite  to  that  of  a  gentlemanly  sports- 
man. It  is  certain  to  create  irritation :  that  feeling  may 
spur  him  to  retaliate,  and  thus  unpleasantly  and  ill  feeling 
will  be  engendered  in  both,  greatly  to  the  detriment  of  • 
sport.  To  count  also  your  own  number  of  shots  against 
his,  and  thus,  by  comparing  one  with  the  other,  praise 
yourself  at  the  expense  of  his  failures,  is  a  boyish  and  silly 


SHOOTING    ON  THE   WING.  77 

proceeding.  If  you  shoot  better  than  he  does,  he  can  not 
fail  to  know  it ;  and,  should  you  shoot  worse,  he  will  evince 
a  polite  forbearance  by  disregarding  the  balance  of  skill 
in  his  favor." 

All  birds  that  cross  belong  exclusively  to  that  person  to 
whose  side  they  bear ;  and  there  should  be  an  understand- 
ing that  the  shots  be  taken  alternately,  when  as  fair  for  one 
as  for  the  other.  We  do  not  mean  that  if  a  covey  spring 
on  the  left,  the  shooter  on  the  right  is  not  to  fire ;  but  he 
is  to  take  the  bird  which  is  nearest  to  him  on  the  right 
In  the  event  of  a  single  bird  rising,  and  crossing  in  the 
same  manner,  he  ought  not  to  pull  his  trigger  until  his 
companion  has  tried  both  his  barrels;  but  if  a  brace  rise 
at  the  same  moment,  in  a  corresponding  form,  there  is  no 
reason  for  showing  this  generosity.  Take  the  one  nearest 
to  your  side,  and  the  liberality  proper  to  be  shown  will  be 
accorded. 

Always  make  it  a  rule  never  to  fire  into  a  covey  or  flock 
of  any  kind  of  game-birds.  The  only  birds  that  true  sports- 
men ever  fire  at  in  this  way  are  ducks ;  and  even  then  the 
practice  is  "more  honored  in  the  breach  than  in  the  ob- 
servance." By  firing  into  flocks  we  wound  many  more 
birds  than  we  kill :  these  fly  away,  die  in  inaccessible 
places,  and  are  lost  to  the  sportsman.  On  the  other  hand, 
he  who  selects  an  outside  bird,  and  brings  it  down  hand- 
somely, obtains  a  much  higher  gratification  than  can  ever  * 
fall  to  the  lot  of  the  pot-hunter.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
outside  birds  are  always  heaviest  and  in  best  condition. 
Especially  is  this  the  case  in  the  fall,  when  the  best  feeders 
and  fattest  birds  generally  lag  a  little  behind  the  rest 

Never  condescend  to  poach, — that  is,  to  use  unusua' 
methods  for  killing  game,  or  to  kill  it  out  of  season. 


80  SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING. 

it  is  to  be  well  rubbed  over  with  a  steel  scratch-card  or 
scratch-brush,  until  the  rust  is  entirely  removed ;  the  mix- 
ture may  then  be  applied  again,  as  before,  and  in  a  few 
hours  the  barrel  will  be  sufficiently  corroded  for  the  opera- 
tion of  scratch-brushing  to  be  repeated.  The  same  process 
of  scratching  off  the  rust  and  applying  the  mixture  is  to  be 
repeated  twice  or  three  times  a  day  for  four  or  five  days, 
by  which  time  the  barrel  will  be  of  a  very  dark  brown 
color. 

"When  the  barrel  is  sufficiently  brown,  and  the  rust  has 
been  carefully  removed  from  every  part,  about  a  quart  of 
boiling  water  should  be  poured  over  every  part  of  the  bar- 
rel, in  order  that  the  action  of  the  acid  mixture  upon  the 
barrel  may  be  destroyed,  and  the  rust  thereby  prevented 
from  rising  again. 

"The  barrel,  when  cold,  should  afterwards  be  rubbed 
over  with  linseed-oil  or  sperm-oil.  It  is  particularly  di- 
rected that  the  steel  scratch-card  or  scratch-brush  be  used 
in  the  place  of  a  hard  hair-brush,  otherwise  the  browning 
will  not  be  durable  nor  have  a  good  appearance. 
"VARNISH  FOR  BROWNED  IRON. 

Shellac, I  ounce. 

Dragon's  Blood, 3-16  of  an  ounce. 

Alcohol, i  quart 

Greener  makes  the  following  statement  on  this  subject : 
"The  best  method  of  staining  barrels  is  by  the  following 
recipe;  but  one  material  fact  must  not  be  overlooked. 
A  considerable  difficulty  exists  in  staining  barrels  all  steel; 
in  such  a  case,  therefore,  the  acid  should  not  be  so  much 
diluted. 

Muriate  Tincture  of  Steel,    .     .      .     .    i  ounce. 

Spirits  of  Wine, i      " 

Muriate  of  Mercury, \   " 

k   " 


Strong  Nitric  Acid, 
Bluestone, 


Water, i  quart. 

"These  are  to  be  well  mixed,  and  allowed  to  stand  a 
month  to  amalgamate.     After  the  oil  or  grease  has  been 


SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING.  81 

removed  from  the  barrels  by  lime,  the  mixture  is  laid  on 
lightly  with  a  sponge  every  two  hours.  It  should  be 
scratched  off  with  a  steel-wire  brush,  night  and  morning, 
until  the  barrels  are  dark  enough ;  and  then  the  acid  is 
destroyed  by  pouring  on  the  barrels  boiling  water,  and 
continuing  to  rub  them  till  nearly  cool. 

"The  Birmingham  people  brown  their  barrels  of  inferior 
quality  in  the  following  way,  to  make  them  look  equal  to 
the  best.  They  dissolve  as  much  muriate  of  mercury  as 
can  be  taken  up  in  a  dram-glassful  of  spirits  of  wine :  this 
solution  is  mixed  with  one  pint  of  water,  or  as  much  di- 
luted as  the  person  requires.  A  small  quantity  of  the 
mixture  is  poured  on  a  little  whitening,  and  laid  on  the 
barrel  with  a  sponge,  rather  lightly ;  as  soon  as  dry  it  is 
brushed  off,  and  a  fresh  coat  laid  on ;  and  so  on  until  the 
barrel  is  dark  enough,  which  is  generally  about  two  days. 
The  effect  that  the  mercury  has  on  every  one  of  the  joints 
of  the  fibres  is  wonderful :  it  never  fails  to  make  them,  in 
two  or  three  days  at  most,  a  beautiful  brown ;  while  the 
other  parts  being  harder,  remain,  comparatively  speaking, 
quite  light.  The  rust  is  killed  by  hot  water;  but  after  that, 
the  barrels  are  suddenly  immersed  in  cold  water,  which 
has  the  effect  of  heightening  the  brightness  of  both  colors. 
The  appearance  is  beautiful,  and  equally  as  fine  to  the  eye 
as  stub  barrels  browned  in  the  same  way;  though  the  pro- 
cess is  mostly  used  for  the  charcoal  iron  and  the  threepenny 
iron  barrels.  The  only  method  in  which  there  is  no  de- 
ception, is  the  smoke  brown  or  stain ;  and,  plainly  speak- 
ing, this  and  no  other  is  the  reason  the  gunmakers  con- 
demn it.  As  the  acid  is  decidedly  weaker,  and  of  course 
(ess  liable  to  impart  injury  to  the  iron,  no  barrel  can  be 
browned  by  it,  to  look  well  and  fine,  but  the  best;  or,  in 
other  words,  none  save  those  possessing  steel  in  their  com- 
position. The  method  of  staining  is  this :  The  barrels  are 
anointed  with  a  little  vitriolic  acid,  to  cause  the  iron  to 
receive  the  effect  of  the  gas  more  readily ;  it  is  then  washed 
off,  and  the  barrels  rubbed  dry.  The  forge  fire  must  then 
be  lighted,  and  blown  up  with  coal  possessing  as  much 


82  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

hydrogen  and  as  little  sulphur  as  possible.  When  the 
coals  are  burnt  till  they  give  out  a  clear  white  flame  with 
no  black  smoke  around  it,  the  barrels  must  be  passed 
gradually  through  that  flame  backward  and  forward,  until 
the  whole  are  covered  with  a  black  sooty  covering.  Place 
them  in  as  damp  and  cool  a  cellar  as  can  be  procured,  and 
allow  them  to  stand  for  eighteen  hours ;  at  that  time,  if  the 
place  is  sufficiently  damp,  the  iron  parts  will  be  found 
covered  with  a  red  rust,  while  the  particles  of  steel  still 
retain  the  original  sooty  cast.  Scratch  these  off  with  a  steel 
brush,  the  same  as  by  any  other  method  of  staining ;  then 
take  a  piece  of  linen  cloth,  and  wash  or  polish  the  barrels 
with  water  and  a  little  washed  emery, — when  the  steel  will 
be  found  of  its  original  bright  color,  and  the  iron  a  shade 
darker,  with  the  outlines  of  both  distinctly  preserved.  Rub 
the  barrels  dry,  and  again  pass  them  through  the  flame 
precisely  as  before ;  but,  above  all  things,  be  careful  not 
to  allow  them  to  remain  in  the  flame  till  they  become  hot 
enough  to  melt  the  solder.  When  you  have  once  passed 
them  through,  do  not  be  in  a  hurry  to  pass  them  again, 
but  in  both  be  guided  by  moderation  :  neither  allow  them, 
after  the  first  time,  to  stand  to  rust  more  than  twelve  hours 
each  time.  Polish  them  as  before,  and  you  will  find  them 
a  shade  darker  at  every  smoking.  Persevere,  until  they 
become  as  dark  as  you  wish  to  have  them.  The  utmost 
you  can  obtain  is  a  fine  purple-black  color  on  the  iron ; 
and  on  the  steel  a  shade  inclined  to  a  copper  color:  but 
if  proper  attention  be  paid  to  the  polishing,  it  will  not 
change  much  from  its  original  color.  The  barrels  are 
taken  out  of  stain  in  the  same  way  as  in  other  recipes,  by 
hot  water;  but  you  must  continue  to  scratch  or  brush 
them  longer,  for  by  that  means  you  obtain  a  greater 
gloss." 

To  Remove  Old  Browning. —  Plug  the  vent  and 
the  muzzle  of  the  barrels;  immerse  the  browned  parts  for 
one  hour  in  boiling  lime-water  or  lye,  to  remove  the  var- 
nish or  grease ;  wipe  them,  and  put  them  in  vinegar,  in  a 


SHOOTING    ON   THE    WING.  83 

wooden  trough,  for  half  an  hour  or  an  hour,  when  the 
urowning  may  be  rubbed  off  with  a  rag. 

To  keep  Barrels  from  Rusting. — One  of  the  great 
difficulties  which  the  sportsman  has  to  contend  against  is 
the  rusting  of  his  barrels,  even  when  protected  by  the  best 
browning.  The  alkaline  matter  existing  in  snow  and  in 
rain,  under  certain  conditions  of  the  atmosphere,  works 
through  the  best  coatings,  and  reaches  the  iron.  Varnish, 
as  ordinarily  laid  on,  is  objectionable,  as  it  gives  a  gun  a 
"Brummagem"  look.  The  best  plan  is  the  following: 
Heat  the  barrels  to  the  temperature  of  boiling  water  (not 
any  hotter,  or  you  may  injure  them),  and  rub  them  with 
the  best  copal  varnish,  giving  them  a  plentiful  coating. 
Let  them  remain  hot  for  half  an  hour,  and  then  wipe  them 
clean  with  a  soft  rag.  In  this  way  you  can  get  enough  of 
the  varnish  into  the  pores  of  the  metal  to  act  as  a  preser- 
vative, and,  at  the  same  time,  no  one  would  suspect  that 
the  barrels  had  ever  been  touched  with  varnish.  We  have 
applied  boiled  oil,  beeswax,  paraffin,  and  some  other  sub- 
stances, in  the  same  way,  and  obtained  good  results;  but 
on  the  whole,  we  find  nothing  better  than  good  copal 
varnish. 

To  Clarify  Oil. — Very  excellent  oil  is  now  sold  by 
the  agents  of  most  sewing-machines.  We  have  used  that 
supplied  by  the  Singer  Sewing-Machine  Company,  and 
find  it  excellent.  Fine  animal-oils  are  most  suitable  for 
the  fine  works  of  the  lock ;  and  when  a  first-rate  article 
can  not  be  obtained,  ordinary  sperm-oil  may  be  clarified 
by  keeping  it  in  a  bottle  with  some  thin  shavings  of  lead. 
The  impurities  collect  on  the  lead  and  sink  to  the  bottom, 
and  the  pure  oil  may  be  poured  off. 

Waterproof  Clothes  and  Boots.  —  Where  the 
hunting-grounds  are  very  wet,  as  is  frequently  the  case  in 
snipe  and  duck  shooting,  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that 
the  sportsman  should  be  provided  with  waterproof  boots. 


84  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WING. 

Boots  made  of  India-rubber  can  now  be  obtained  of  very 
moderate  price  and  very  convenient  form.  Some  sports- 
men, however,  object  to  rubber  boots,  and  prefer  leather, 
which  should  be  well  dressed  with  some  preparation  that 
will  enable  it  to  resist  moisture.  One  of  the  most  easily 
obtained  dressings  is  neat's-foot  oil,  which  should  be  well 
rubbed  in  before  a  good  fire,  while  the  leather  is  damp. 
Linseed-oil  is  sometimes  recommended,  but  it  is  objec- 
tionable, as  it  dries  and  renders  the  leather  hard  and  liable 
to  crack.  Another  very  good  mixture  is  composed  of 
equal  parts  of  lard  and  common  resin  melted  together. 
Colonel  Hawker's  recipe  is  as  follows : — 

Boiled  Linseed-Oil, i  pint. 

Yellow  Wax, 2  ounces. 

Turpentine, 2  ounces. 

Burgundy  pitch, i  ounce. 

Melt  over  a  slow  fire ;  add  a  few  drams  of  essential  oil 
of  lavender,  and  rub  it  into  the  boots,  either  in  the  sun  or 
by  the  fire. 

Another  recipe  directs  us  to  take  half  a  pound  of  bees- 
wax, one  quarter  of  a  pound  of  resin,  and  the  like  quan- 
tity of  mutton  suet.  Boil  these  together ;  and  if  the  boots 
be  new,  anoint  them  well  with  this  preparation,  lukewarm. 
For  old  boots,  substitute  beef-tallow  for  mutton-suet. 

Chandler's  Composition,  which  is  very  highly  recom- 
mended, is  prepared  thus :  One  quarter  of  a  pound  of  gum 
caoutchouc,  with  sufficient  naphtha,  oil  of  sassafras,  seneca, 
or  any  other  solvent,  to  completely  dissolve  it ;  after  this  is 
effected,  a  pound  of  tallow  and  three  quarters  of  a  pound 
of  beeswax  should  be  melted  together,  and,  in  connection 
with  the  dissolved  gum,  should  be  kept  over  a  slow  fire 
until  they  are  intimately  commingled.  When  using  the 
preparation,  the  boots  should  be  slightly  wet  and  warmed  : 
if  the  mixture  is  then  properly  rubbed  in,  it  is  almost  im- 
possible for  the  water  to  penetrate. 

But  all  these  recipes  are  inferior  to  the  waterproofing 
which  is  applied  by  the  Porous  Waterproof  Company, 


SHOOTING   ON  THE   WING.  86 

whose  address  is  144  and  146  North  Fifth  Street,  Phila- 
delphia. This  company  uses  a  process  which  leaves  ordi- 
nary garments  perfectly  open  and  porous,  and  yet  com- 
pletely proof  against  rain  and  snow.  Consequently,  while 
the  perspiration  and  other  exhalations  are  allowed  to  escape 
freely,  the  wearer  is  kept  dry.  We  have  seen  common 
mosquito-netting  so  prepared  by  their  process  that  a  table- 
spoonful  of  water  poured  into  a  little  bag  of  the  netting 
would  not  pass  through ;  and  boots  prepared  in  this  way 
have  been  used  during  a  trouting  excursion,  and  kept  for 
hours  in  the  water  without  showing  any  signs  of  leaking. 
One  of  the  most  valuable  features  of  the  process  is  that  it 
can  be  applied  to  boots  and  garments  already  made  up. 
So  far  as  the  comfort  of  sportsmen  is  concerned,  we  have 
no  hesitation  in  saying  that  it  is  the  most  valuable  inven- 
tion ever  brought  before  the  public. 

Mending  Rubber  Boots. — It  frequently  happens 
that  a  slight  crack  renders  a  pair  of  valuable  rubber  boots 
entirely  worthless ;  so  that  the  ability  to  mend  such  a  break 
would  be  worth  to  the  owner  very  nearly  the  price  of  a  pair 
of  boots.  Dealers  in  rubber  goods  sell  a  cement  by  which 
it  is  said  that  boots  may  be  mended,  but  it  will  be  found 
that  very  few  of  the  uninitiated  are  able  to  apply  it  success- 
fully, and  the  professionals  keep  the  matter  a  profound 
secret.  We  are  assured  by  a  person  who  has  been  very 
successful  in  mending  boots,  as  we  know  by  experience, 
that  the  great  secret  of  success  lies  in  getting  the  two  sur- 
faces that  you  wish  to  join,  clean  and  new.  Cement  will 
not  stick  to  old,  wet,  or  dirty  rubber  surfaces.  Take  a 
piece  of  stout  sheet-rubber,  of  a  size  and  shape  sufficient 
to  cover  the  crack ;  with  sand-paper  or  a  sharp  knife  or 
razor,  make  a  new  clean  surface  on  both  the  patch  and  the 
boot ;  cover  both  with  cement,  press  them  together  firmly, 
and  keep  them  firmly  pressed  together;  stand  them  by  the 
fire  for  twelve  hours,  and  then  give  them  a  few  days  to  dry. 
We  are  assured  that  a  patch  put  on  in  this  way  will  not 
easily  come  off  or  leak. 


80    »  SHOOTING    ON  THE    WINti. 

Care  of  the  Health. — While  field  sports,  if  properly 
carried  on,  have  undoubtedly  a  tendency  to  improve  the 
health  of  those  who  engage  in  them,  it  frequently 
happens  that  the  sportsman,  either  from  ignorance  or  care- 
lessness, so  exposes  himself  as  to  be  seriously  injured. 
One  of  the  greatest  dangers  from  this  exposure  is  the  lia- 
bility to  catch  cold,  and  all  the  numerous  ills — rheuma- 
tism, consumption,  colic,  fevers,  etc.  —  that  usually  flow 
from  it.  The  following  hints,  which  we  have  always  found 
effectual,  and  which  are  based  on  common  sense,  may 
perhaps  prove  useful : — 

Little  danger  need  be  apprehended  from  exposure  to  the 
most  severe  weather,  provided  we  are  properly  prepared 
for  it.  Therefore,  in  the  fall  and  spring  always  go  warmly 
clad ;  and  remember  that  weather  which  appears  to  be 
very  pleasant  in  your  own  dooryard  may  be  very  chilling 
on  the  lake,  the  marsh,  the  snipe-bog,  or  the  seashore. 
In  fall  and  spring  always  go  out  prepared,  as  if  you  ex- 
pected a  rain  or  snow  storm. 

If  by  chance  you  should  be  thoroughly  wet  with  a  sud- 
den shower,  do  not  sit  down  even  under  the  cover  of  the 
most  inviting  shelter.  If  you  can  get  into  a  barn,  where 
you  can  walk  about  briskly  while  the  rain  is  pouring  down, 
very  well ;  but  you  had  far  better  walk  about  under  the 
heaviest  shower  than  creep  under  a  hedge  and  lie  still  with 
wet  clothes.  A  wetting  never  hurt  any  man  that  kept  in 
exercise  while  he  was  wet.  Stand  still  or  sit  down  with 
wet  clothes,  and  your  doom  is  sealed. 

In  drinking,  when  out  in  warm  weather,  avoid  stagnant 
water ;  and  if  you  are  compelled  to  drink  such,  it  is  always 
well  to  mix  a  little  good  spirits  with  it.  But  except  for 
such  purposes,  never  indulge  in  spirituous  or  malt  liquor 
when  out  hunting.  Instead,  however,  of  relying  on  chance 
supplies  of  poor  water  which  requires  to  be  qualified  with 
whiskey,  we  always  carry  a  flask  of  cold  tea,  made  strong, 
without  milk  and  with  but  little  sugar.  A  mouthful  of 
this  is  more  lastingly  refreshing  than  a  drink  of  liquor  and 
water. 


SHOOTING   ON  THE    WING.  87 

Most  sportsmen  follow  the  advice  given  by  Watts,  and 
\  irry  with  them 

"  A  pocket  pistol,  neat  and  handy, 
Charged  with  some  good  old  rum  or  brandy,* 

as  a  precaution  against  cholera-morbus  and  similar  dis- 
orders, induced  by  accidental  exposure.  This  is  very  inju- 
dicious. Any  chemist  can  put  up  a  much  better  prepara- 
tion than  any  brandy  or  whiskey  you  can  find.  For  our 
own  part,  we  use  a  preparation  with  which  we  have  been 
acquainted  for  some  years,  and  which  we  find  to  be  excel- 
lent— Campbell's  Cholera  Cordial.  It  may  be  procured 
from  almost  any  druggist,  and  a  small  bottle  is  sufficient 
for  any  ordinary  excursion.  It  is  unquestionably  the  best 
article  in  market  for  this  purpose. 

Preserving  Game  after  it  has  been  Shot. — The 

excessively  warm  weather  during  which  much  of  our 
shooting  is  done  in  this  country,  renders  it  absolutely 
necessary  that  some  means  should  be  taken  to  keep  the 
game  from  being  tainted  before  it  is  used ;  for,  in  the 
United  States  we  do  not  admire  our  game  in  that  "high" 
condition  that  is  so  acceptable  to  European  epicures.  In 
many  cases,  where  a  large  party  takes  the  field,  a  quantity 
of  ice  is  taken  along,  and  in  this  way  the  results  of  several 
days'  shooting  are  kept  in  good  condition  until  wanted. 
But,  besides  the  fact  that  ice  is  cumbrous,  and  entirely  un- 
suited  to  the  wants  of  a  small  party,  it  is  also  true  that  game 
that  is  kept  long  in  contact  with  ice,  loses  entirely  that  fine 
piquant  flavor  that  renders  wild  animals  so  much  superior 
to  domestic  fowls.  It  becomes  sodden  and  tasteless,  unless 
indeed  the  excursionists  provide  themselves  with  properly 
constructed  refrigerators,  which  is  very  improbable. 

Where  game  is  to  be  kept  under  not  very  unfavorable 
conditions,  great  advantage  will  be  gained  by  paunching 
the  quadrupeds,  and  drawing  the  birds,  as  well  as  emptying 
the  crops  of  the  latter.  Game  treated  in  this  way  will  re- 
main in  sound  condition  for  at  least  half  a  day  longer  than 
it  otherwise  would  do;  and  this  is  a  very  important  matter 


88  SHOOTING   Off  THE   WING. 

where  the  day  is  exceedingly  warm  and  sultry,  as  it  enables 
us  to  take  home  at  night  the  proceeds  of  the  morning's 
shooting, — while,  without  this  precaution,  we  have  ovei 
and  over  again  seen  birds  that  had  been  shot  in  the  morn- 
ing, thrown  away  as  unusable  at  night.  If  the  marker  01 
attendant  be  provided  with  a  sharp  knife,  it  is  but  a  min- 
ute's work  to  remove  the  crop  and  entrails  from  a  woodcock 
or  grouse. 

A  more  efficient,  though  more  troublesome  process,  but 
at  the  same  time  one  that  is  more  easily  put  in  practice 
than  carrying  ice,  is  to  remove  the  entrails  or  the  contents 
of  the  crop,  or  both,  and  fill  the  vacant  space  with  coarsely 
powdered  charcoal.  Almost  all  game  begins  to  taint  in 
the  neighborhood  of  these  parts,  because  the  incipient  pu- 
trefaction to  which  the  contents  of  the  crop  and  entrails  are 
liable,  extend  to  the  flesh  in  the  immediate  neighborhood. 
The  charcoal  absorbs  all  the  tainted  juices,  and  keeps  the 
meat  in  good  condition.  The  charcoal  should  be  carefully 
selected, — only  those  pieces  being  chosen  which  are  well 
burnt  and  free  from  all  odor  of  creosote.  If  it  be  desired 
to  keep  the  charcoal  from  direct  contact  with  the  game,  it 
may  be  tied  up  in  some  thin  kind  of  fabric,  such  as  very 
loose  muslin,  though  we  confess  that  we  have  never  prac- 
tised such  dilletanteism.  But  by  the  use  of  charcoal  we 
have  kept  birds  for  a  day  and  a  half  after  others,  shot  at 
the  same  time,  had  become  completely  spoiled. 


THE     END. 


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HOW   TO    USE    THE   MICROSCOPE. 

A  Simple  and  Practical  Book,  intended  for  beginners. 
BY  JOHN  PHIN, 

Editor  of  "  The  American  Journal  of  Microscopy." 

Second  Edition.    Greatly  Enlarged,  with  50  illustrations  in  the  text, 

and  4  full-page  engravings  printed  on  heavy  tint  paper. 


WHAT  A  MICROSCOPE  is  —Different  Kind*  of  Microscopes  __  Simple  Mi- 
croscopes. —  Hand  Magnifiers.  —  The  Coddiagton  Lens.  —  The  Stanhope 
Lens.  —  Kaspail's  Microscope.  —  The  Excelsior  Microscope.  —  Twenty  -five 
cent  Microscopes  aud  how  to  make  them.  —  Penny  Microscopes. 

COMPOUND  MJCROSCOPES.  —  Different  kinds  of  Objectives.  —  Non-Achrom- 
atic Objectives.—  French  Achromatic  Objectives  —  Objectives  of  the  English 
Form.  —  Immersion  Objectives  —  Focal  Lengths  corresponding  to  the  num- 
bers employed  by  Nachet,  Hartnack  and  Gundlach. 

How  TO  CHOOSE  A  MICROSCOPE.  —  Microscopes  for  Special  Purposes.  — 
Magnifying  Power  required  for  different  purposes.—  How  to  judge  of  the 
quality  of  the  different  parts  of  the  Microscope. 

ACCESSORY  APPARATUS.  —  Stage  Forceps,  Animalcule  Cage,  etc. 

ILLUMINATION.—  Sun  Light.—  Artificial  Light.—  Bulls-Eye  Condenser.— 
Sido  Reflector.—  The  Lieberkulm.—  Axial  Light.—  Oblique  Light.—  Direct 
Light. 

How  TO  USE  THE  MICROSCOPE.  —  How  to  Care  for  the  Microscope. 

How  TO  COLLECT  OBJECTS.  —  "Where  to  find  Objects.—  What  to  Lookifor.  — 
How  to  Capture  Them.—  Nets.—  Bot  tie-Holders.—  Spoons.—  New  Form  of 
Collecting  Bottle.  —  Aquaria  for  Microscopic  Objects.  —  Dipping  Tubes. 

THE  PREPARATION  AND  EXAMINATION  OF  OBJECTS.  —  Cutting  Thin  Sections 
of  Soft  Substances.  —  Sections  of  Wood  and  Bone.  —  Improved  Section  Cut- 
ter. —  Sections  of  Bock.  —  Knives.  —  Scissors.—  Needles.  —  Dissecting  Pans 
and  Dishes.  —  Dissecting  Mici  scopes.  —  Separation  of  Deposits  from 
Liquids.  —  Preparing  whole  Insect.  —  Feet,  Eyes,  Tongues,  "Wings,  etc.,  of 
Insects.—  Use  of  Chemic.il  Tests.—  Liquids  for  Moistening  Objects.—  Re- 
fract ive  Power  of  Liquids.—  Covers  for  Keeping  out  Dust.—  Errors  in  Micro- 
scopical Observations. 

PRESERVATION  OF  OBJECTS.  —  General  Principles.  —  Recipes  for  Preserv- 
ative Fluids.  —  General  Rules  for  Applying  them. 

MOUNTING  OBJECTS.—  Apparatus  and  Materials  for:  Slides,  Covers,  Celli, 
Turn-Table,  Cards  for  Making  Cells,  Hot-Plate,  Lamps,  Retort  Stand, 
Slide-Holder,  Mounting  Needles,  Cover  Forceps,  Simple  Form  of  Spring 
Clip,  Centering  Cards,  G  )ld  Size,  Black  Japan,  Brunswick  Black,  Sheilac, 
Bell's  Cement,  Sealing  Wax  Varnish,  Colored  Shellac,  Damar  Cement,  Mar- 
ine Glue,  Liquid  Glue,  Dextrine.—  Mounting  Transparent  Objects  Dry.— 
Mounting  in  Balsam.—  Mounting  in  Liquids.  —  Mounting  of  Whole  In- 
sects.— How  to  Gat  Rid  of  Air-Bubbles  __  Mounting  Opaque  Objects. 

FINISHING  THE  SLIDES. 

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GENESIS    AND    GEOLOGY. 


The  only  really  scientific  and  logical  system  of  harmony  between 
Genesis  and  Geology  is  to  be  found  in  a  little  work,  just  published 
and  entitled 

THE  CHEMICAL  HISTORY 

OF 

The  Six  Days  of  Creation. 

By  JOHN  PHIN,  0.  E.,  EDITOB  OF  "  THE  TECHNOLOGIST." 
t  Tol.f  12rno.,  Cloth.     75  cents. 

In  this  work  an  attempt  is  made  to  show  that  the  account 
given  of  the  Creation,  in  the  first  chapter  of  Genesis,  agrees 
literally  with  the  record  developed  by  the  investigations  of  modern 
science. 

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The  following  are  a  few  of  the  Opinions  of  the  Press: 

This  is  P  small  book,  but  full  of  matter. — The  Presbyterian 
(Philadelphia). 

A  very  candid  and  ingenious  essay.— Christian  Union  (H.  W. 
Beecher's  paper). 

It  is  a  topic  which  needs  a  calm  and  well-directed  intellect  to 
approach,  and  Mr.  Phin  has  surrounded  its  discussion  with 
thoughts  of  the  deepest  interest  to  all  minds  seeking  rest  on  this 
much  perplexing  question.—  Journal  of  the  Telegraph. 

The  reasons  and  conclusions  are  clear,  distinct,  and  natural. 
The  book  will  interest  and  instruct,  and  is  intended  to  lead  the 
reasoning  mind  to  firmer  faith  in  the  light  of  revelation. — New 
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No  one  can  read  this  book  without  compensation,  without  be* 
coming  more  thoughtful  concerning  the  phenomena  of  creation 
and  he  need  lose  none  of  his  reverence  for  the  supremacy  of  the 
Divine  Law.— Rural  New-  Yorker. 


The    Only    Practical    Book    Published    on    this    Subject. 

THE    PISTOL 

AS  A 

WEAPON  OF  DEFENCE, 

In  the  House  and  on  the  Road. 
12mo.    Cloth.    50  cents. 


This  work  aims  to  instruct  the  peaceable  and  law-abiding  citizens  in  the 
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the  lawless.  Its  contents  are  as  follows:  The  Pistol  as  a  Weapon  of  De- 
fence—The Carrying  of  Fire- Arms— Different  kindg  of  Pistols  in  Market; 
how  to  Choose  a  Pistol — Ammunition,  different  kinds;  Powder,  Caps, 
Bullets,  Copper  Cartridges,  etc.— Best  form  of  Bullet— How  to  Load- 
Best  charge  for  Pistols — How  to  regulate  the  Charge — Care  of  the  Pistol; 
how  to  clean  it— How  to  handle  and  carry  the  Pistol— How  to  Learn  to 
Shoot — Practical  use  of  the  Pistol;  how  to  Protect  yourself  and  how  to 
Disable  your  antagonist. 

"  No  man  is  fit  to  keep  house  who  is  not  fit  to  defend  it."— Henry  Ward 
Beecher. 

"  So  long  as  rogues  cannot  be  prevented  from  carrying  weapons,  honest 
men  do  not  consult  their  own  safety  and  the  public  good  by  totally  dis- 
carding them."— .Recorder  ffackett, 

"  Such  I  hold  to  be  the  genuine  use  of  gunpowder;  that  it  makes  all  men 
alike  tall  (or  strong.)"—  Cartyle. 
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JUST  PUBLISHED,  in  I  vol.,  12wio.,  Handsomely  Bound 

in  Cloth,  Gilt  Title.     Price  50  cents. 

PLAIN  DIRECTIONS 

FOB 

The  Construction  and  Erection 

OF 

LIGHTNING  RODS. 

By  JOHN  PHIN,  C.  E., 

Editor  of  THE  TECHNOLOGIST.     Author  of  THE  CHEMICAL 

HlSTOKY  OF  THE  SlX  DAYS  OF  THE  CKEATION,  etc. 

SECOND   EDITION.      ENLARGED    AND  FULLY  ILLUSTRATED. 

This  is  a  simple  and  practical  little  work,  intended  to 
convey  just  such  information  as  will  enable  every  prop- 
erty owner  to  decide  whether  or  not  his  buildings  are 
thoroughly  protected.  It  is  not  written  in  the  interest 
of  any  patent  or  particular  article  of  manufacture,  and 
by  following  its  directions,  any  ordinarily  skilful  me- 
chanic can  put  up  a  rod  that  will  afford  perfect  protec- 
tion, and  that  will  not  infringe  any  patent.  Every 
owner  of  a  house  or  barn  ought  to  procure  a  copy. 

May  lie  Ordered  through  any  Bookseller, 

or  will  be  sent  free  by  mail  on  receipt  of  price,  by 
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JUST  PUBLISHED,  in  1  vol.,  12mo.,  Handsomely  Bound  in  Cloth, 
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A  BOOK  FOR  EVERYBODY. 


"What  to  Do 

AND 

How  to  I3o  It 

IN   CASE   OF 

ACCIDENT. 


This  is  one  of  the  most  useful  books  ever  published.  It  tells 
exactly  WHAT  TO  Do  IN  CASE  OF  ACCIDENTS,  such  as  Severe  Cuts, 
Sprains,  Dislocations,  Broken  Bones,  Burns  with  Fire,  Scalds, 
Burns  with  Corrosive  Chemicals,  Sunstroke,  Suffocation  by  Foul 
Air,  Hanging,  Drowning,  Frost-Bite,  Fainting,  Stings,  Bites, 
Starvation,  Lightning,  Poisons,  Accidents  from  Machinery,  and 
from  the  Falling  of  Scaffolding,  Gunshot  Wounds,  etc.,  etc. 

It  ought  to  be  in  every  house,  for  young  and  old  are  liable  to 
accident,  and  the  directions  given  in  this  little  book  might  be  the 
means  of  saving  many  a  valuable  life. 

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AMATEUR'S    HANDBOOK 

Practical  Information, 

FOR  THE  WORKSHOP  AND   THE   LABORATORY. 


This  is  a  handy  little  book,  containing  just  the  information 
needed  by  Amateurs  in  the  Workshop  and  Laboratory. 

Directions  for  making  Alloys,  Fusible  Metals,  Cements, 
Glues,  etc.  ;  and  for  Soldering,  Brazing,  Lacquering, 
Bronzing,  Staining  and  Polishing  Wood,  Tempering  Tools, 
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Preparing  Skins,  etc. ,  etc. 

Neatly  Bound.    Price  10  cents. 

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